


Being human

by kakarott



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Boys In Love, Budding Love, Cute Kids, Cute boys, Demogorgon - Freeform, Depression, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Out of Body Experiences, Post Season 2, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protectiveness, Romantic Fluff, Self-Harm, The Upside Down, Will has Powers, Will stutters, byler, demodogs, he requires mike to feel alive, innocent children, lord of the rings quote, shield metaphors, will is a mess a bad mess, will is frodo and mike is samwise, will the wise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-01-28 04:47:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 40,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12598500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kakarott/pseuds/kakarott
Summary: Will is a literal mess after the events of 1984. He doesn't sleep, doesn't eat, he's hardly living and he hasn't met his friends for weeks. He's isolated and Jonathan and Joyce worry about him. Mike is worried too, he wants to help Will but doesn't know how. Will he be able to reach out to Will before it's too late?





	1. Chapter 1

_Please, don’t hurt me, don’t… don’t hurt me please…_ Will cried, tears burning hot on his cheeks. He was stuck to a wall, nails were dug harshly into his wrists. Blood dripped along his arms.

The shadow stared at him with lifeless eyes. Disgusting sounds came from its throat as it opened its mouth, it turned into four separate leaves, looking something like a distorted form of a flower. Rows and rows of sharp teeth met Will’s eyes, he let out a scream of fear as the creature started nibbling on his right arm. Its teeth were razor sharp and left small puncture wounds on his skin.

” _Mom… Jonathan… Dustin… Lucas… Mike…_ ” Will sobbed as the creature started eating his flesh. He passed in and out of consciousness, seeing parts of what the shadow did to his body. It felt like it ate parts of his soul, piece by piece.

He woke just as the creature was about to suck the marrow out of his breastbone.

Will gasped for air, he wasn’t getting any. His breathing turned ragged, he tried to cough as the nurse on the hospital had taught him, but no air filled his lungs. His vision turned blurry, his bedroom fading away from his sight.

”WILL!” Jonathan shouted worriedly as he entered the room, he hurried to Will’s bedside table and grabbed for his emergency syringe. Jonathan pierced Will’s thigh with the needle. A cough and a gasp came from Will, the boy drew a sharp breath and air flowed into his lungs.

Jonathan wiped sweat from his forehead before he pulled the now crying Will into his arms.

"You’re okay now buddy, it can’t hurt you now when you’re awake, you’re safe”, Jonathan whispered into Will’s hair as he rocked Will in his lap as if he was a small baby.

Will stopped crying after a while but he was still shaking with fear. Jonathan kissed his clammy forehead and gave his back calming strokes.

”Do you want to return to sleep or do you wanna keep being awake? Time’s only 04:40…” Jonathan murmured softly, looking out the window. It seemed to be a beautiful day, for Hawkins that is. Sun was shining, the sky was clear and the early birds were chirping happily outside.

Will looked at Jonathan as if he were stupid. Black circles under his eyes told of countless sleepless nights. His body had grown thinner - not in a good way. His clothes had grown too big.

”No sleep”, he whispered, his voice only a remnant of the old Will’s voice before all of this had happened.

Jonathan nodded. ”What do you wanna do instead? Play some Atari? Watch a movie? Go out for a walk?” He knew Will didn’t want to do any of his suggestions, Will barely managed to get out of his bed these days. His friends had reached out to him a couple of times but Will had refused to even leave the house, saying the shadow monster might get him if he left the house. He didn’t even want to play Dungeons & Dragons anymore… He hadn’t drawn anything at all since before the night of the Snow Ball ’84.

”No. I want to stay here… with you and mom”, Will replied silently and snuggled closer to Jonathan.

”Will, you know I can’t stay home today. I have some important stuff to do at work, I have to photograph some elder women for my colleague’s news article”, Jonathan said calmly. He was working extra at Hawkins Local Paper, he took photographs every now and then for the newspaper and in return, he got some dollars. It was always nice with extra cash.

”And mom has to work, you know that”, Jonathan added softly while drawing his fingers gingerly through Will’s long hair. It had grown quite a lot since he’d last cut it. It reached down to his shoulders now. It was unusual to see him without his traditional bowler cut. Joyce had tried a couple of times to cut his hair but he’d refused completely, saying the long hair shielded his aura from shadow creatures.

“I don’t want you two to work, I want you to be at home, here with me”, he said stubbornly, just as a little child. “I’m so scared when I’m alone”, he added with a whisper, staring with fright at Jonathan’s eyes.

A lump grew in Jonathan’s throat. He hated seeing Will like this, small and scared. Just as he’d been when they were little. He’d woken up from nightmares even back then, always coming running on wobbling little legs, sneaking into Jonathan’s bed in the middle of the night.

“You’re never alone Will. I’m in the city, just a call away. Mom too. And you could always call your friends, inviting them over to play D&D or something. You haven’t seen them in awhile, you know? I think they miss you,” Jonathan tried, looking down at his smaller brother.

Will frowned, his friends… He surely missed them, but at the same time, he felt like a bother to them. Like he was in their way. They had girlfriends and such now. He didn’t. Will the outcast. Lucas was with Max, Mike with Eleven, Dustin with some random girl he didn’t know the name of. He was with himself. With **Him** …

Will swallowed and shook his head, trying to chase the memories of the shadow away, but they were always present. Always near. Always close.

“No”, he replied firmly. “I’m a bother to them. They’ve girlfriends, I don’t… You have one too.”

Jonathan’s heart sank to the bottom of his chest. So that was the reason he didn’t want to hang out with his friends? Because of girlfriends? What difference did that make?

“Don’t care about them, girlfriends come and go but friends remain forever. Right? Wasn’t that one of your rules or something?” Jonathan asked with a small smile on his lips.

“No, we never established that rule”, Will replied, crawling out of Jonathan’s lap. “I…” He looked away, straight into the wall. “I’ll be fine on my own… at least until you and mom come home. I will read a book or something”, he said, trying to make Jonathan feel less worried but failing.

Jonathan sighed but didn’t show his disappointment to Will. He didn’t want to hurt his brother by putting even more pressure on him.

“Okay buddy, if you’re fine with that, then it’s okay. Call me as soon as you can whenever you feel scared or _too_ lonely, okay?” Jonathan pet Will’s hair and gave him a beaming smile.

Will nodded, “I promise. And promises are things you never break”, he said reassuringly.

Jonathan chuckled softly and yawned. He hadn’t had his morning coffee yet. He’d started getting used to being up this early though, Will’s nightmares had gotten worse and he woke up each time he heard Will scream. A feeling of dread churned in his stomach. This morning he’d just been lucky he woke up, what if he hadn’t? Would Will have been dead now if Jonathan hadn’t woken up? No, he couldn’t think like this. He needed to always be alert, always be ready that something could happen to Will. Maybe he could start setting alarms every two hours? Just to always be sure Will was okay. Maybe he could move his bed into Will’s room and sleep next to him? That would ensure Will never came to harm. He’d ask him later.

“I’m gonna go make some coffee, you can either go with me or stay here and do something. You decide yourself”, Jonathan said gently before rising from the bed. He gave Will’s hair a quick ruffle before he left the bedroom for the kitchen.

He found Joyce sitting at the table, smoking a cigarette. She looked tired to the bone, she was just staring into nothingness, sucking on the cigarette and blowing smoke out of her mouth. The smoke circled to the ceiling, disappearing.

“Jo? Are you awake now?” She said, shocked. Her forehead wrinkled.

“Uhm yeah, I don’t know if you heard him but Will couldn’t breathe. I went into his room and gave him emergency medicine. Nightmares…” Jonathan summarized, grabbing the coffee from one of the cabinets. He turned on the coffee machine, filling it with water and coffee powder. He yawned again and rubbed his eyes. Fatigue made itself reminded.

“Why are you awake now, mom?” He asked and grabbed another cup of coffee from the cabinet. He filled the cups with the brown liquid, “Do you want milk or sugar or something?”

Joyce nodded, “Both… And I’m awake because I can’t sleep, Jo. I have terrible nightmares of the Upside Down, of the demo-dogs and of… Of Bob’s death. It’s just horrid. I don’t… I don’t know how to deal with all of what’s happened. And with Will waking up almost every night, I don’t know how to help him”, her voice grew thicker with sadness and she had to clear her throat to kill a sob that threatened to come out. “I feel helpless”, she added, some tears glinting in her eyes.

Jonathan put the cups on the table and moved one of the chairs so it was next to Joyce’s. He sat down and lay an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to him.

“I know mom… I feel the same. I don’t know what we could do. He refuses to see his friends, he refuses to go outside, he refuses to meet with Dr. Owens, he refuses to see Jim… He refuses everything, it’s like he wants to be alone”, Jonathan sighed, drawing his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Joyce looked at her elder son,

“I don’t think he _wants_ to be alone, it’s more like he feels he doesn’t deserve anything else”, she said slowly and took a sip of the still hot coffee.

“Yeah, I agree…” Jonathan sighed sadly. He hated everything that had ever hurt his brother. What had Will done to deserve this? He’d done nothing… He’d always been the nicest and cutest of the two of them. “We actually talked about this before I came in here, and from what I understood of our conversation, he thinks he doesn’t deserve his friends because they have girlfriends now. I think he feels like an outcast like he doesn’t really belong to the group anymore.”

Joyce gave Jonathan a sad look and nodded slowly.

“Yeah… I guess that could be a reason”, she sighed.

Jonathan took two gulps of his coffee, its bittersweet taste filling his mouth.

“I will talk to Jim again about this, to see if he have any ideas what we could do with Will”, Joyce said and rose from the table. She looked through the fridge to find something for them to eat. She made breakfast to her family and called for Will.

Her youngest son came into the room, just wearing a three sizes too big T-shirt. It had a washed-out, pink My little pony on it. It was actually her old T-shirt. Where had he found it? Will’s face was pale, the dark circles under his eyes too prominent and stark against the pale whiteness of his face. He almost looked like a small skeleton in the too big T-shirt. He sat down next to Jonathan, eyeing the plate with toast and scrambled eggs.

“I’m not so hungry”, he said, his voice hoarse. A shadow monster was sitting on top of the table, its eyeless face sniffing at him. Drool dripped down, forming a pool on his toast. He felt nausea roiling in his stomach, a taste of bile on his tongue.

“Will? Are you okay?” Joyce asked, her son’s face had turned white, almost yellow, from zero to hundred in a second.

“It’s here, **he** ’s… **He** ’s here”, Will whispered, frozen in fright. He pointed a finger at the creature in front of him, his finger trembling violently.

“It’s nothing there Will. You’re just seeing things”, Jonathan said softly, he tried to reach for Will’s shoulders but he was too far away. He made an attempt to rise from the chair but Will’s sudden move backward stopped him. Will let out a loud scream as he ran to his room, hiding under his bed.

Joyce slammed the table in pure frustration, “I hate this!” she said, flailing her arms like a madman. “I can’t deal with this anymore! I have to call Hopper or someone! We need help!”

Jonathan nodded, agreeing with her. “I’m gonna go and… try to comfort him”, he said and left the breakfast table with a rumbling stomach.

Jonathan kneeled beside the bed, looking beneath it. He heard Will’s heavy breathing but couldn’t see him. Was he really hiding here? Wasn’t he too big? How did he fit?

“Will?” Jonathan called out quietly, it felt like he was whistling for a dog.

“ **He** ’s here Jonathan, **he** ’s beside you. **He** ’s gonna take me”, Will wheezed, his body trembling violently.

“No, he’s **not** gonna take you! I’m here, and I’ll protect you. Mom too. We’re here Will, we won’t ever leave your side. You’re safe here. This is your home!” Jonathan said, a bit too angry and firm but this whole Upside Down angered him deeply. He hated, hated, **hated** seeing Will _this_ frightened.

“Please Will, come here”, Jonathan said, opening his arms in an embrace. He wanted Will to feel safe, he wanted it so dearly his heart ached.

Will shook his head,

“ **No** ! if I come out, the monster will take me. **He** ’ll eat my flesh, **he** ’ll make punctures on my skin, **he** ’ll suck the marrow out of my bones”, Will said, his voice thick with panic. Jonathan suspected he’d have a panic attack any minute.

“ _Please_ ”, Jonathan pleaded, trying to crawl under the bed himself but he was too big, he didn’t fit.

Will started hyperventilating, he started twisting and convulsing - like he had an epileptic seizure.

Jonathan stretched for him and managed to grab a hold of his arm. He pulled Will’s violently shaking body to his and embraced him, trying to hold him as tight as he could.

“I’m so sorry Will, I’m so sorry you have to go through this. I’m so sorry I can’t help you”, Jonathan wept, tears streaming down his face, snot filling his nose. Moments later, Will’s panic attack was over and he sagged in Jonathan’s arms, his eyes closed. He was asleep.

Jonathan tucked Will into bed, the boy sleeping soundly but his body was still twisting and turning worriedly.

“Hopper, please, we need help. We can’t… We can’t do this anymore. Will is just getting worse. He-he saw a creature on the table. He had a panic attack… He woke up, Jonathan said he couldn’t breathe. This is too much. I don’t know what we’re going to do with him”, Joyce sobbed into the phone from where she was standing, she fiddled with the telephone cable between her fingers.

Jonathan sat down at the kitchen table with a deep sigh, his head ached really badly. He needed aspirin… Or something even stronger.


	2. Chapter 2

“Will?” Eleven suddenly asked the boys and girl around the table. They were in a deep session of Dungeons and Dragons, this was their sixth hour playing today. Lucas character had just killed another Demogorgon and they’d just cheered loudly. Will was a stiff subject, they had talked loosely about him but hadn’t come up with a plan to help him. Yet. They knew he was suffering, but they didn’t know how to reach out and help him.

“What?” Mike said a bit too annoyed, but they were right up in an important D&D game. He hated to be disturbed, even though it was by El.

“What’s up with Will?” Max asked and looked worriedly at Eleven. “Did you-did you feel something?

El nodded and shook her head. “Yes and no”, she said shortly. She looked at Mike.

“He is suffering”, she added, a small worry-wrinkle showing on her forehead. “Badly.”

Mike swallowed nervously, this didn’t sound very good. He knew Will had suffered a lot the latest year, and he remembered how he’d suffered at the Hawkins Lab. Did he suffer even more now? The shadow was out of him, he _should_ be fine but he wasn’t. That was clear as day.

“Can we help him somehow? I mean, we’ve been at his house but that didn’t quite help much”, Dustin said, remembering one time, a week ago or so, when they had visited Will but he’d just screamed at them and pulled the blinders, not letting anyone of them visit him or even come near him.

Eleven looked at Mike. “I could try to reach out to him, with my power”, she suggested, her eyes staring intensively at Mike. He looked at his friends for their confirmation, they all nodded.

“Do it El, maybe that could help him somehow”, Mike said, giving her a cheerful look.

Eleven nodded, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She almost immediately felt Will’s presence near her. It was so strong, pulling her to him. She walked over the black sea, the water splashing around her feet as she started running.

"Will!” she called and hurried her steps. She found him huddled together, black creatures circling him. A small, translucent circular shield was around him, protecting him, but it had several cracks. The creatures snapped at his feet, but the shield protected Will from their attacks. The creatures growled and gritted their sharp teeth at Eleven when they heard her.

“Leave him alone!” she shouted and lifted her hand, focusing her power on throwing them away. The creatures snarled when they were lifted from the sea and whined when they landed back on the ground with a loud thud. They howled before they disappeared, running off the distance like scaredy cats.

Eleven sat down next to Will, not daring to touch the small shield. She wondered how he’d conjured it, she knew he didn’t have any powers like her. Or did he? Had she missed something?

“Will?” she whispered, looking at his pale face, his eyes were closed shut and his mouth was just a thin line. His hair had grown so long, it brushed his shoulders. It was weird seeing him without his usual haircut but Eleven thought he looked cute like this.

The boy suddenly opened his eyes and he looked at her with empty eyes. “Eleven?” he said, his voice just a small whisper.

Eleven smiled and nodded, “Yes, I’m here Will”, she said, putting a hand on the shield, it was warm to the touch. A good warmth, a safe warmth. She liked the feeling of it.

“I’m lonely Eleven. I’m scared. The creatures… They’ve multiplied. I see them more often now. They visit me in my dreams, they visit me when I’m awake… They even visit me here”, he said, looking around the black sea, like he’d been there before. “I even hear **his** voice sometimes… Like when **he** was inside me”, Will added almost inaudibly. He looked scared.

Eleven gave the shield a few soft pats. “I know you’re scared Will, I’m scared too. But… Our party needs you Will. If-if we’re going to fight the dark forces, we need to stick together”, she said softly.

“I don’t know how”, he whispered helplessly. Hating himself. Hating this.

“We’ll try something. I’ll ask the party. I have to go, my power’s almost out but I will return, I promise”, she said, giving the shield a last soft caress before she disappeared.

Will was left alone, again.

\----

It was dark when Jonathan came home. He hadn’t meant to be this late, but photographing elder women drinking tea and eating cookies took longer than expected. He dropped his bag with the camera on the floor when he came inside and yawned widely, stretching his aching muscles.

“I’m home”, he called not too loudly. He took off his jacket and hung it up before he went to the living room. Joyce was watching some documentary about rats on the TV.

“How’s Will?” Jonathan asked when he sat down, stretching out his legs over his side of the sofa.

Joyce looked a bit calm, for once. “He’s been sleeping since his panic attack. I don’t know if it’s good since he hasn’t eaten anything all day, but at the same time I still feel it’s good since rest is what he needs the most right now.”

Jonathan nodded and a feeling of relief washed over him. Maybe this could be the first night he, Joyce and Will could sleep through without being woke up by screaming and crying.

“I’m glad to hear he’s okay. Did you stay home from work today?” he asked his mother and took off his socks. It was unusually warm in the house tonight.

“Yes, I couldn’t just leave him after the panic attack. I wanted to see if he was going to be okay or if he’d have another attack”, she said, a slight tone of worry in her voice.

“It’s fine mom, I understand. I’ve worked today and it will help us. Don’t worry”, he said reassuringly and gave her cheek a quick caress. She closed her eyes, stroking his hand in a thankful manner. “Thank you”, she said.

“No problem mom. Did you hear anything from Hopper? What did he say when you talked to him?”

Joyce let out a sigh, “He didn’t say anything of importance, he just… tip-toed around the subject and said that he’d get in contact with Dr. Owens again. He also said he’d talk with Eleven to see if maybe she could help.”

Jonathan nodded, it was something after all. _Something_ was good. _Something_ was progress. Maybe Owens could help them better now if they were lucky.

“Oh, and he also said we should ask Will about what he feels safe with. It could be anything; a person, a thing, a piece of candy”, she added. “Just something he could think of whenever he sees the creatures or have nightmares.”

“Sounds like a good idea, I will ask him tomorrow about that”, Jonathan said and gave her cheek a quick caress before he rose from the sofa. “Do you want anything from the kitchen? Tea, coffee, food?”

“A cigarette and a glass of warm milk”, Joyce said, chuckling. She hadn’t drunk hot milk since she was about eight or nine years old.


	3. Chapter 3

“What makes you feel safe Will? Or rather who? If there is anyone?” Jonathan asked Will carefully, eyeing his brother. They were sitting at the kitchen table, Will was eating for the first time since two days ago. He seemed more at ease today, maybe it was the sleep.

“Safe?” Will repeated with a frown, thinking for a moment. His first obvious choices were Jonathan and Joyce, but he thought deeper. Safe… Safe… Who made him feel  _ safe _ ? He thought of his friends and of the last year’s events. When had he felt safest? A warm feeling spread in his chest when he finally came up with the answer.

“M-Mike… Mike Wheeler… Makes me feel safe”, he stuttered and a small but apparent blush spread over his cheeks. He’d never really thought of Mike  _ that _ way, but the more he thought about it, the more he was sure. Mike made him feel safe like no one else could or did. It was when he thought of Mike, he was the strongest. Their time at Hawkins Lab had been short but it had made him strong enough to go through the shit that happened after it. Mike made him stronger, in more ways than one. His cheeks blushed even more, he felt like a lovestruck girl.

Jonathan was shocked to see Will smiling, blushing. It was like he’d reverted back to the old Will who was laughing and joking. It was amazing to see his brother smile again after crying for so long.

“Mike? The black-haired boy in your gang?” Jonathan asked, smiling and not thinking much about what it meant that it was precisely this boy that made his brother smile and blush.

Will looked at Jonathan’s face with a shy smile on his lips, his eyes were filled with a glimmer of life. Something that had been missing for so long. Jonathan’s eyes turned teary, he was so happy seeing his brother like this. Alive.

“Y-yes, th-that's the one”, Will said quietly and took a small bite of his toast with scrambled eggs.

“If you don’t mind, can I ask why it’s Mike that makes you feel safe?” Jonathan quizzed. He hoped Will would take his question in a good way.

“I just remembered our days together at the Lab, you know when I was sick and… and I was a spy?” The memory of being a spy to  **him** made the light in his eyes disappear a little.

“Yeah I know what you’re talking about, continue”, Jonathan said, afraid of losing his brother to the darkness of his thoughts again.

“Whenever I woke up, screaming or crying or just being a mess, Mike was there, looking over me. He was just  _ there _ . He tried to comfort me and it was just… special. He made me feel safe, he made me feel like I was a human again”, Will explained, his voice hoarse but stronger than before. Jonathan could see in his eyes that he was serious and really did mean what he said.

“I don’t know if I’ve always had these feelings for Mike but… I think I have. I can’t really explain it, but he’s always seen me… even when I was invisible back at kindergarten, he saw me. He has just always been there”, Will mumbled shyly, his cheeks burning red.

Jonathan’s heart swelled in his chest. His brother sounded so mature, it was unusual hearing him like this but Jonathan had never been more proud than he was right now in this moment. He didn’t care if Will was gay or bisexual or any type of sexuality at all. He was still his Will, his brother and he would never judge him.

“Do you think… You might be in love with Mike?” Jonathan asked, careful not to step on any sensitive toes.

Will lifted his gaze from the plate with the toast and looked into Jonathan’s eyes. His eyes were filled with stars as he opened his mouth to answer.

“Y-yes. I… I am”, he confessed.

\----

“Mike! You've got a phone call!” Karen, Mike’s mother shouted from upstairs.

“Shit Mike, you have a date with El going on?” Dustin smirked and pushed him friendly. 

Mike scoffed, the tips of his ears turning red.

”No! I don’t!” He hurried up the stairs and grabbed the phone waiting for him. He heard someone breathe on the other line.

“Hello, it’s Michael Wheeler?”

“Oh!” Jonathan Byers voice answered on the other line. “Hi Mike!” he said a bit awkwardly. TV-commercials could be heard in the background. Mike frowned, what did Jonathan want him? Maybe something had happened to Will?

“Hi, Jonathan…?” Mike said quizzically, itching to go downstairs again to continue playing Star Wars with Dustin.

“I’m sorry if I disturbed a game or something similar, but I’d like to ask you if you have an opportunity to visit us? You don’t have to do it today, but maybe tomorrow? Or... erhm... as soon as possible?” Jonathan sounded a bit stressed and nervous.

“S-sure Jonathan, but… Did something happen with Will?” Mike asked, concerned. He was worried about Will, really worried. He hadn’t seen him in ages and the things El had told him when they’d met in the black sea was disturbing enough to make his sleep screwed up. He didn’t dare to talk about his worry though, not even with El. It was something he kept for himself.

“No… Nothing happened with Will, uhm, at least not now. He’s fine, he’s, uh, sleeping right now. But it would be really lovely if you could just come and maybe, cheer him up a little? He’s having a tough time right now and I know he misses you guys a lot, but I think he misses you the most. He has talked a bit about you so I think he’d really enjoy your company”, Jonathan said softly, trying not to sound too desperate.

Mike chuckled, Jonathan took that as something good.

“Yeah, of course, Jonathan, I’ll come by tomorrow and visit you guys. It’s been ages… and it’s summer vacation after all. See you tomorrow”, he said before ending the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos, it makes me really happy you're liking this fic so much!


	4. Chapter 4

_Go away! Go away! GO AWAY!_ Will screamed so loud his voice cracked but it was no use, the shadow kept coming closer, its multiple legs running faster and faster. This was just like the day he’d tried to make the monsters disappear but he’d failed. The biggest one of them had turned into smoke and then forced itself into his body, becoming a part of him.

Will looked down at the shadow staring at him. Its face split into four parts and he could see the rows of teeth and a disgusting, slithering tongue coming out between them. Even the tongue had pointy teeth. Will screamed in fear, scratching his arms feverishly with his nails to wake up from this nightmare. He woke up in a pool of sweat, sobbing, with blood running from deep scratch marks on his wrists.

”Mom? Jonathan?” He called out, his voice filled with fear but none of them answered. He was alone, again.

Sunlight from the world outside peeked through his blinders and he thought he’d heard someone outside.

”I need to fix my arms”, he said loudly as he tip-toed into the bathroom. He found two patches and put them over the bleeding scratches before he looked into Joyce’s cabinet. He found a hair tie and after struggling for a while, he managed to get his hair into it. He hurried back to his room, still on tippy toes to find something to get dressed in.

A knock on the door made Will jerk in fear. He heard his heart beat madly inside his head. He quickly put on his socks before hurrying to the door, wondering who it would be. He hoped it would be someone nice.

Mike Wheeler met his eyes through the peeping hole. Will’s heart took a violent jump inside his chest.

”Anyone home?” Mike asked whilst looking into the hole, not seeing anything. He’d woke early this morning due to excitement over meeting Will. He hadn’t been _this_ excited for some time now.

”Y-yes, I’m… home”, Will said quietly from the other side of the door. Mike could hardly recognize his voice, it was so weak and hoarse compared to before the events of the Upside Down.

”M-Mike?” Will’s voice asked, breaking the sudden silence that’d emerged between them.

”Yeah Will?” Mike asked, still looking through the peeping hole, hoping to see his friend’s face.

”Are you the only one here or are the other’s w-with you? Lucas, Dustin, Max… _Eleven_?”, Will asked, emphasizing the syllables of Eleven’s name.

Mike frowned, ”I-I’m the only one here, I’m alone, no one else is with me”, he said. He heard how the door unlocked, the light in the hall was dark compared to the nice, sunny weather outside. Mike glanced inside, not seeing Will, where did he go? He shrugged and went inside anyway. It was not like he was scared or anything.

”H-hello… hello, Mike”, Will’s voice suddenly said behind him, closing the door. Mike jumped out of fear, clutching his chest like an old frightened lady.

”Oh shit Byers! You scared me!” Mike said with a laugh and looked at his friend. Will’s dark blonde hair, _long_ hair was tucked into a ponytail, he saw dark circles under his eyes, they almost shone in his white face. Mike could see he’d grown thinner, his cheekbones were more prominent and his eyes hollowed out. The clothes Will was wearing was his usual clothes but they were one or two sizes too big. Cakes of dried blood adorned his arms, two patches were sloppily taped over some red scratches on his skin. He didn’t look healthy. At all. Mike immediately felt even more worried for his friend, what had been going on here?

”I’m sorry M-Mike. I didn’t mean to-to scare you”, Will apologized hastily, stuttering. Since when did Will stutter? What horrors had he gone through?

”Nuh-uh”, Mike said shaking his head. ”Don’t apologize, you didn’t mean to scare me. It’s okay Will”, Mike smiled, giving Will’s shoulder a reassuring pat.

Will already felt a bit better, he’d started to forget the nightmare from before. Mike was already healing him somehow. He felt at ease when Mike was near.

”So…” Mike started, looking at Will with mischievous eyes. Will thought he looked beautiful, his cheeks burned as he found himself looking at Mike’s lips.

”What do you wanna do?” Mike continued his smile kind. His gaze wandered from Will’s eyes to Will’s blushing cheeks. Mike arched an eyebrow, did Will have a fever? He stretched out his hand and touched Will’s forehead.

Will took a sharp breath when Mike touched him, what was Wheeler doing? Why did he touch him all of a sudden?

Will’s forehead was burning hot against Mike’s hand. He certainly had a fever.

”I think you need to rest Will, you’re burning up. Do you want me to… like cool you down or something? With a wet towel? My mom usually do that whenever I’ve fever”, Mike laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

Will just smiled at him, he didn’t know what to say, his heart beat so fast it felt like a bird was about to burst from his chest.

Mike stepped closer to Will, watching his reaction. Will gulped and stepped backward, what’s up with the sudden closeness, he wondered. Mike did know his personal bubble, he’d always been the one most understanding when people got too close to Will. Dustin had no sense of knowing personal bubbles at all. He always came close, hugging and patting and breathing...

Mike frowned, a hurt look shadowed his face.

”Are… Are you afraid of me Will?” he asked, suddenly very insecure and anxious.

 **No**! Will wanted to scream but no words came out. He wasn’t scared of Mike but this sudden closeness… he wasn’t used to it and it made him insecure. What if Mike could see right through him? What if Mike could see his feelings for him?

”Do you want me to go home? Is this t-too much for you? I understand if it is...” Mike asked, his face worried and hurt. He hated seeing Will like this like he was some trapped animal.

”N-no M-Mike!” Will said hoarsely, panicked. He didn’t want to be alone again, he wouldn’t survive through the day. He knew it.

Mike’s face switched from anxious to happy in half a second. 

”Good! ’Cause I don’t want to leave yet, I-I haven’t seen you for so long and I… I have really missed you Will”, he said and smiled widely. ”The gang’s just not the same without you”, he added and crossed his arms with a small smile, leaning against the wall.

Will’s heart fluttered inside his chest upon hearing _those_ words from Mike.

”I-I have missed y-you a-as well M-M-Mike. A whole l-lot”, Will said, smiling so much his mouth almost hurt. He hadn’t smiled like this in ages.

”How come you haven’t come and visited us then? I mean, we were here but you ignored us and pulled the blinders. Didn’t you want to see us? And you haven’t been answering our calls…” Mike said sadly. He’d worried so much and Will hadn’t even taken the time to return his call. He’d felt ignored the latest month's, ignored by his best friend.

”I’m s-s-sorry Mike, I did… I w-wanted to but I’ve b-been so af-afraid. The monsters from Upside Down have s-started visiting m-me more often, both in my dreams but in real life too, and I’ve been feeling l-like I d-don’t belong to the gang anymore…” He said the last part much quieter than the first.

”You mean the demo-dogs? Have they visited you? And what?! What do you mean you don’t feel like you belong to the gang anymore? You’ll always be a part of our team Will, we’d never leave you out!” Mike said with heat, he was clearly upset.

”Demo-dogs, demogorgons b-but a-also the largest one, the shadow monster y-you kn-know. The big-biggest one”, Will now whispered, afraid **he** might hear or see him, or both.

Mike stepped towards Will, grabbing Will’s hands in his, staring at the scratch marks that were still bleeding. ”Did that _fucking_ monster hurt you?” He said angrily, his eyes filled with sudden rage. He’d already forgotten what Will had said about not feeling a part of the gang anymore. Will flinched by his sudden anger and the sudden warmth from his hands.

”No, I-I did it myself in m-my sleep, to wake up”, Will said, struggling with his words. He hated his stutter, it got worse every day.

Mike cast a final glance at Will’s wounds. ”Just… just tell me when he’s here okay? I will make him pay!” he said with heat and let go of Will’s wrists. ”But… it’s weird you still see them, you shouldn’t, cause they aren’t within you anymore… does this mean you've got a power? Like, like Eleven?” Mike added with a frown on his forehead, his mouth formed into a small ”o”.

”Mike… Mike, that’s n-not possible. I have never been in a lab like her, I’ve never been ex-ex-experimented on! I’m just an ordinary boy, born and bred here in Hawkins!” Will exclaimed, waving his arms which caused the band-aids to fall off. They danced in the air like snowflakes before landing on the floor. His wrists were still bleeding.

”But Will! You’re not ordinary, you’ve been longer in the Upside Down than any of us, you’ve been exposed to it! Maybe it’s polluted air altered your DNA or something! I mean, you had one of the vines _inside_ your body”, Mike exclaimed, also waving his arms to prove his point.

Will suddenly dropped to the floor, tears erupting from his eyes. ”I don’t want to be special, I j-j-just want to be Will, from before all of this”, he whimpered. ”I’m so tired Mike”, he added with a hoarse whisper.

Mike kneeled down beside him, putting his arm around Will’s shoulder, pulling him close. ”I’m sorry Will, I wish… I wish I could help somehow”, he murmured quietly. They sat quietly for a while, just hugging each other. Will stopped crying after a moment, he always felt stronger somehow when Mike was near him.

”Do you remember what Samwise said to Frodo when he was struggling? In the Lord of the rings?” Mike said, breaking the silence between them.

”No, what? I d-d-don’t remember”, Will said, his voice quiet.

Mike gave him a warm smile before he spoke:

”It’s all wrong. By rights, we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of danger and darkness they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something.”

”And Will, you’re holding onto something, that’s why you’re still here. That’s why you didn’t let the demogorgons win over you back in the Upside Down. That’s why you could let go of the shadow you had within”, Mike said softly, putting a loose strand of hair behind Will’s ear.

Will just stared at Mike in awe, hardly recognizing they were sitting so close to one another. When did Mike learn _that_ quote? It was such a long quote and a hard one. Mike was just simply amazing.

“What exactly are you holding onto Will? Do you know, yourself?” Mike quizzed, taking one of Will’s longer strands of hair from his ponytail and twirled it around his index finger. Will enjoyed Mike playing with his hair, it was cozy and his arms were covered in pleasant goosebumps.

Will poked at one of the scabs that already had begun to form on the scratches, shielding the wounds.

“I…” Will wasn’t sure he had the courage to answer truthfully. He knew what his answer was, it was Mike that had helped him through this whole ordeal. It was Mike that’d helped him being strong even during the worst moments of the shadow inside him. It was always Mike, it would always be Mike. Without Mike, he didn’t feel like a human.

Mike broke Will’s silence by tickling his sides. Will screamed out in surprise and laughed loudly. Mike continued to tickle him, Will struggled, tried to get away from Mike but as it always had been, Mike was stronger than him. He took a harsh hold of Will’s wrists and pushed him down to the floor, sitting on top of him all of a sudden. Will found himself staring at Mike’s lips, his heart beating wildly of excitement and of terrified delight the tickling made him feel.

“Are you gonna tell me now? What you’re holding onto?” Mike asked, smiling widely and threatening to tickle Will again with his hand, he formed it like a jaw full of teeth. His hand reminded Will of a Demogorgon but he tried to ignore the similarity.

Will took a deep breath, it was now or never. He stared into Mike’s eyes and smiled bashfully.

“It-it-it’s you Mike”, he said.

Mike was expressionless for a moment before his face burst into a look of happiness and awe.

“Me?” he laughed, “Are you serious?!”

Will nodded, feeling a bit hurt but tried to avoid showing it.

“Yes, you. Y-y-you’re the only one that has made me feel human this past year. Everyone around me has just made me feel like a baby, but you managed to make me feel real. Li-like I was w-worth something like I was something else than just an instrument for the shadow monster. Like I was something else than a helpless baby”, Will murmured, avoiding to meet Mike’s gaze. He’d just exposed his soul, he was afraid of being mocked. Not that he thought Mike actually would mock him… But he was vulnerable, scared...

Mike put a finger on Will’s chin and turned his face so he was looking at Mike.

“Thank you, Will, I think that’s the most… The most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard”, Mike said, meaning every word that came out of his mouth. “I’m happy I can be something like that to you, that I could mean so much to you.”

“Y-you really d-do. It’s like… At the Hawkins Lab, I d-don’t know what you were feeling back then, but I… My feelings for you, just… Just grew stronger during th-those days”, Will said softly, his cheeks were red - a stark contrast to his pale face but a welcome one. He wanted to hide somewhere but he couldn’t, Mike was on top of him, pinning him to the floor, exposing his soul with his brown eyes.

Mike’s soft fingers suddenly brushed Will’s left cheek, an intimate gesture. 

“I don’t know much about love, I don’t know much about feelings. But… I do know that you mean a hell of a lot to me, like… I’ve worried so much about you, I’ve thought multiple times that maybe you’d die from the Upside Down, or be killed by a Demogorgon or whatever. I’m just so happy you’re here and alive and… breathing”, Mike babbled, the words just spewed from his mouth. He talked faster and faster, a sign that he was nervous.

“I-it’s okay M-Mike, you d-don’t have to deal with my confession now”, Will said quickly, “I just wanted to g-get it out of m-my system, that’s-that’s all. And.. And I know your feelings for Eleven, I know you’re, in love with her, I think?” He blushed violently.

Mike shrugged with a smile, “Like I said Will, I don’t know much about feelings or love or any of that gross stuff, the only thing I know is… Is that I like you and Eleven very much. More than friends-stuff-feelings. It’s gross but I can’t help it”, he cackled.

His words warmed Will’s chest greatly. Maybe there was hope for them, for him, maybe they could be something one day.

They suddenly burst into laughter, with Mike sitting on Will. Will said something funny entirely out of context and Mike just started laughing hysterically. It ended with them both lying on the floor, crying with laughter.


	5. Chapter 5

_Will, you’re never safe. You’ll never be safe, even though you have your petty little shield nearby. You will always_ **_belong_ ** _to me, to the Upside Down, to the shadows. You’ll never walk fully in the light again!_

Will woke with a harsh intake of breath, his wrists aching and burning. Drops of blood colored his sheets white. He stared at the blood, the world around him turning dark and grey with black vines and web-like formations growing on the walls. Upside Down, he’d returned there. He didn’t know how, because the gate was closed but there he was, standing on the football field. The sky above was dark with red thunderclouds.

 _No!_ he screamed to deaf ears as the largest shadow monster appeared before him, it’s elongated teeth dripping with drool. _Go away! GO AWAY!_ he screamed, his voice cracking and escaping from him. The shadow monster roared and crept toward him, it’s large feet made the ground tremble around him. Will fell headlong to the ground, his legs couldn’t make him stand anymore. He hit his head in the fall and passed out.

—-

Mike woke up by whining noises and rustling sheets. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, feeling a bit confused, he didn’t really know where he was before he remembered. He’d stayed over at Byer’s house. He and Will had talked and laughed together, they’d had a great time together. They’d watched a movie later on the evening and Jonathan had popped popcorn. The smell still lingered in the room. Mike saw Will twisting in his bed, he whined like a hurt cat, a few tears wet his face.

“Shit”, Mike said and rose from his mattress and crawled into Will’s bed. He saw blood dripping from newly added scratch marks on Will’s wrists. Sweat glistened on Will’s forehead. Parts of his blanket had dark spots of damp sweat.

“Will?” Mike whispered, shaking Will’s shoulders gently to try to wake him but Will continued to twist and turn and wail. “Will!” Mike said, louder this time and shook him harder but his friend still didn’t wake up.

“Fuck”, Mike swore, “What should I do?” he said out loud and tried shaking Will’s shoulders again but to no avail. He still didn’t wake up. It was like he was stuck again, in an area between the Upside Down and the real world.

Mike’s thoughts started rushing through his head as he tried to come up with something. He thought of waking Jonathan, but what could Jonathan do that he couldn’t? He was Will’s _shield_ for god’s sake! He ought to do something!

Mike crept under Will’s blanket and held his twisting body close to his own, hoping this could help Will feel some sort of solace, wherever he was.

—-

The white translucent shield suddenly appeared around Will’s body. He saw its light scaring the demo-dogs and demogorgons away, but the largest shadow monster remained. **He** didn’t scare that easily. Will opened his eyes, his head aching from the fall before. He rose on shivering legs, the shield around him growing stronger as he felt Mike’s presence closing in on him. Was Mike here? He looked around but couldn’t see anything. It didn’t matter, he still felt Mike’s presence with him. He stared into the shadow monster’s eyeless face, stared into the one thing that had haunted him for months, days, a year even, and lifted his hand like Eleven used to do when she used her powers. He stared at the fleeing demodogs;

 _TURN AROUND, COME HERE,_ he demanded them and they turned around, opening their mouths and growled in unison.

 _OBEY,_ Will thought, his headache growing worse by each second. A large splash of nosebleed erupted from both of his nostrils. The demodogs barked and came back running toward Will. Will turned to the Shadow and lifted his hand upward to the Shadow’s face.

 _ATTACK,_ he demanded and the demodogs howled like wolves before they sprung at the Shadow, biting its legs.

The Shadow roared to the sky and suddenly shrunk into the size of D'art. It whined like a dog before running off the distance, the demodogs running after it. It was afraid of _him_. Will breathed heavily, his head spun and he dropped to the ground, fainting from exhaustion.

Will woke to Mike’s eyes staring widely at him, his body so close their chests touched. Will had quite a thick line of nosebleed running from his nostrils.

“I defeated… I defeated the shadow, at least I think I did!”, Will said, his voice weak but still full of life. ”Somehow I could control the smaller demodogs, and I made them attack the biggest, the Shadow!” Will said with an indescribable feeling of happiness bubbling inside him.

“You defeated the shadow?!”, Mike blurted out, a beaming smile on his face. “How?! I thought it was already defeated?!"

“I-I don’t know, I passed out, but then I came to my senses and I had this white shield around me and somehow, I felt you. It was like you were there beside me, I couldn’t see you but you made me so strong”, Will said, blushing fiercely.

“I was there? In the Upside Down? Wicked!” Mike exclaimed. “But how? The only thing I did was coming here into your bed and... uhm… I hugged you”, he added with a shy smile.

“I guess you were right before, about me having powers as well because I could really feel you there. It really was like you were beside me. I think I projected you somehow”, Will said, excited and more full of life than Mike had seen him in months.

“As soon as I felt you near me, I lifted my hand like Eleven does when she uses her powers and just started to control the lesser demodogs! They attacked the Shadow’s legs and it shrunk in size, bailing out of there like a weak mutt!” Will continued, gesturing how he’d held his hand and how the shadow had shrunk.

”Just like Eleven!” Mike exclaimed in awe of Will’s story. ”And you’ve got a nosebleed like her too”, Mike said and gave the trickle of the nosebleed from Will's nostrils an intense gaze. Will’s eyes grew larger and he touched the blood with his fingertips, coloring them red. Mike was right, it was a nosebleed all right.

”I told you, you’ve got powers, Will!” Mike clapped his hands excitedly and let out a loud whoop. ”This is so cool, we have to tell the gang about this! Will the wise has in real life powers!”

The two boys laughed and hugged each other.

”But… how did you get into the Upside Down? Eleven closed the gate, didn’t she?” Mike suddenly said with a frown on his face.

Will shrugged, ”I-I don’t know, I just… I was just there”, he said.

Mike pondered for a moment, his face all scrunched up in thought. ”I’ll ask Eleven, maybe she’ll know!” He said after a few seconds, smiling brightly.

Will nodded, not entirely sure he wanted anyone else but Mike to know about his power. But he guessed it couldn’t hurt, he needed to know how he could’ve ended up in the Upside Down when the gate was closed.

“Maybe you’re free from the shadows now, _Mr.Frodo_ ”, Mike joked and Will laughed in return, hitting Mike’s shoulder jokingly. “I’m serious though Will, maybe you’re finally free from the Upside Down, maybe you won’t ever have to see or dream about those creatures again”, Mike added, his smile beaming. ”And if they return, maybe you could use your power again and destroy them once and for all! I think it's really cool that you were able to control the demo-dogs! What if you could've used it before when the Shadow was within you?"

Will nodded and returned his smile, “Maybe… That would've been great, to have controlled them I mean", he said. "If I’m free, it’s all thanks to you, Mike. You made me into a human again”, he whispered, grabbing Mike’s hand in his beneath the blanket. Mike squeezed Will’s hand and caressed it lightly with his fingertips, a small blush showing on his cheeks.

“Thank you, Mike, f-for everything”, Will whispered in the dark, he gathered an ounce of courage and placed a sloppy kiss on Mike’s lips, hoping Mike wouldn’t turn away from him.

Mike felt Will’s lips on his, millions of thoughts crossed his mind but he paid them no attention. Instead, he closed his eyes, his heart fluttering like a bird in his chest as he returned the kiss. In this moment, he felt every single emotion that Will felt as if they were the same being. He felt Will’s happiness, sorrow, anger, fear… He finally understood what Will had meant when he’d said that Mike made him feel human, he’d never felt more alive than he did in this brief moment.


	6. Chapter 6

Will woke up slowly. Sunlight streamed through the blinders, stinging his sensitive eyes. But the sun wasn’t the reason he’d woken up. Something was tickling his sore wrists and he’d woken from the tingling sensation. Mike Wheeler was sitting next to him, holding his left wrist in his hand, tracing the white scars with his index fingers. It tickled and Will couldn’t stop the giggle that jumped out of his mouth.

“It tickles”, he said, giggling, he tried to escape from Mike’s now hardened grip but as usual, he couldn’t.

Mike smirked at him, “Oh, it tickles you say?” he mocked and started using his nails instead of his fingertips. He was careful not touching the actual scratch marks. Will wriggled and struggled, laughing so much he almost couldn’t breathe. Until something cold gripped his heart. He saw Mike’s fingers turning into the hands of a Demogorgon. Fear erupted inside him.

“STOP!” he cried out and pulled his arm away from Mike’s grip. Mike stared shocked at him, his eyes big and worried. Had Will’s eyes turned black for a short moment there?

Will held his hand close to his chest, breathing unevenly. He was so scared, the sight of Mike’s fingers turning into a Demogorgon's hand was horrid, he would never be able to forget it. He had defeated the largest of them, the one that had haunted him, why did he still see them?!

“I’m so sorry Will, I didn’t… I don’t… I was just trying to cheer you up,” Mike blabbed, still staring at Will with large eyes. “Do you want me to… to leave?” he added, jumping out of the bed to collect his things from the floor.

“No!” Will cried out, too desperate, too quickly. He reached out for Mike, but Mike had already stepped away from his reach.

“I-I’m sorry Will, but I-I think I have to go”, Mike said, his eyes a bit teary as he hurried to leave the room. He didn’t want to leave, not really, especially not since the events last night, but Will made him all jittery and nervous when he was scared. Hell, Will scared made _him_ scared. It had been something else back at the Lab, Will had really needed him and he’d just been there for him, refusing to leave his side. But now, did Will really need _him_ or did he need a psychological ward? Maybe Will needed someone at the Lab to check on him, see where his powers came from and what he could do with them.

Mike met with Joyce at the door, she was about to go to work, her hands full with car keys and a coffee mug.

“Oh! Mike! I didn’t know you slept over!” she said a bit shocked and smiled brightly at him. “You’re leaving already?” she added with a concerned look on her face and a glance at her wristwatch. Had something happened between the two boys? She unlocked the door but waited in the doorway. “Do you want me to get you a ride home?”

“Yeah I’m leaving, um, Will isn’t feeling well, so I figured I should just go home”, he said, trying to sound normal even though he was still a bit shaky by Will’s scream earlier. Why hadn’t Joyce heard her son screaming “no”? Where was Jonathan? Were they supposed to leave Will all alone here? Why? Will wasn’t in the best position right now to be alone. The thoughts just made Mike feeling even more guilty about leaving, maybe he’d stay.

Joyce dropped her handbag to the ground, “Oops!” she exclaimed and picked it right up. Her face was pale. “You said Will isn’t feeling well?” she added and went back into the house, closing the door behind her.

Mike frowned, what was up with her strange behavior?

“No, he… I woke up before him, and, I dunno, I just tickled him a bit to make him wake up and he laughed and then he just screamed all of a sudden and got really scared. And that frightened me, so I figured it’d just be better if I went home”, Mike said with a shrug, trying to avoid talking about the _thing that happened_ yesterday. _That_ was something between Will and him and he never wanted anyone else knowing about it. Not even El. Especially not El. It was his deepest secret, kissing Will. He felt his earlobes turning red.

Joyce expression went from worried to sad, “I-I’m sorry Mike. I’m sure Will didn’t mean any harm, you know, he’s sensitive after everything that has happened… and I’m sure he doesn’t want you to leave, he’s been talking so much about you and it was such a long time ago I saw him being this happy when he told me you were coming over yesterday”, Joyce said quickly like she was afraid that Mike would run out the door any second now.

Mike understood what she meant and he felt really bad for Will but he was smart enough to understand that he wasn’t enough to save Will. Will needed professional help and that was something even Mike couldn’t give him.

“I’m sorry Joyce, but… I think I have to go”, Mike said, feeling his heart break a little as he uttered the words.

Joyce nodded slowly, she felt like all hope was lost for his boy now, especially now when not even his closest friend wanted to spend time with him.

“I’ll get you home”, she said shortly but still with a nice tone. They went to the car and she drove him home before going to work.

\----

Jonathan came home from his extra job later that evening. He took off his jacket and dropped the bag with the camera on the floor as usual before he went into the kitchen and opened the fridge to see if there were any leftover food from yesterday. To his hunger's blissfulness, there was some food left. He popped it on a plate and shoved it in the microwave before going to Will’s room, knocking three times on the door, he got no answer and decided to open the door. Will was still sitting on top of his bed, huddled into a tiny ball, his hair was tousled. It looked like a bird’s nest. He was still in his pajamas. He had a trail of dried blood beneath his nostrils.

“Will?” Jonathan said anxiously as he entered the room. He sat down next to Will and lay his hand on Will’s tiny back. “What’s wrong? Where is Mike?” Had Will been alone all day? Again? Shit, this wasn’t good. Wasn’t good at all.

Will moved his gaze from a black spot on the wall to Jonathan’s face and eyes. “Gone”, he said, his voice empty of emotion. “Just like everyone else. E-e-everyone just leaves me.” His eyes were black and void of light. “Except for **him** ”, Will whispered and pointed at the shadow monster sitting beside Jonathan, its eyeless face smirking, it’s mouth opened, showing rows of sharp teeth slathered in drool. The monster was still small in size but Will could feel it growing stronger and stronger like it was returning to its usual strength. His friendly demodogs had been worthless, how could he have thought he’d defeated the monster? Or weakened it? He was so stupid. Stupid, ugly, worthless, weak Will Byers. A freak, a zombie, an outcast.

“Are you seeing it again?” Jonathan said, pulling Will to him and holding him tight in a close embrace. “I won’t let him take you and you’re never alone, Will. Me and mom, your friends, Mike, we’re all here for you”, he added delicately. He felt Will’s head shaking.

“No, you leave me alone every day, every night. And Mike? Mike isn’t here, he left me, don’t you see? He doesn’t care. No one cares! I’m ALL **ALONE** !” Will suddenly shrieked and fought his way out of Jonathan’s arms. He ran out of his room, the shadow monster running behind him like a stray dog and aimed for the door. He needed to get out, he couldn’t stay here any longer. He needed to hide somewhere he could be alone because that was what everyone wanted. He should’ve just stayed in the Upside Down, becoming a part of it like **It** wanted. That’s what everyone wished anyway. Will rushed out the door, barefoot in the damp grass and disappeared into Mirkwood, the shadow monster growling after him, nibbling at his heels.

\---

“Hopper?” Jonathan said, his voice panicked on the other line of the phone. Jim had just got home from working all day. Some of the neighbors had had some problem with an angry cat and he’d running around like a madman after it the whole day. Stranger things had happened but he was glad he was doing some ordinary work for once.

He was so tired his bones ached, he really needed a beer right now and some massage. Eleven wasn’t home, she said she’d spend the night with Max, having an all-girls sleepover. Jim had chuckled when she’d said she didn’t know what “an all-girls sleepover” was, her face expression had been priceless. He’d tried to explain it but even he didn’t fully know what it meant. He hoped she would have a fun night, however.

The elder Byers’ voice on the other line made Jim’s stomach churn. Nothing was ever okay with the Byers family. Not even now when the Upside Down seemed far away, at least for the moment. He’d really thought the exorcism of the shadow would’ve healed Will, but nope, it hadn’t helped a damn thing. Will was still a mess even though the creature was out of him.

“I-I’m sorry if I disturb you this late a Thursday evening, but Will’s gone… again. He just… Ran away, I don’t know which direction and I didn’t wanna disturb mom at work. She’s working one of her night shifts and I just, didn’t wanna worry her you know?” Jonathan babbled, his voice growing more and more panicked at each word.

“Wait wait wait boy, why-how did Will just ran away?” Jim asked, dropping down with a thud on the sofa. This would probably be a long night, looking for the Byers boy. He yawned inaudibly and scratched his head.

“I just came home from my extra job, it took longer today than I had anticipated… Anyway, I came home and I started warming some food in the microwave before I went to check on Will. He was huddled together on his bed, and I asked him where Mike was because Wheeler had been sleeping over. And Will just said “Gone”, and his eyes were empty and black. And then he pointed in front of him and said that he was always alone, and the only thing that didn’t leave him was the shadow monster. And he pointed at it, but I didn’t see it. I hugged him and told him that he’s never alone, but he struggled and got loose, and just ran out the door”, Jonathan babbled on, his voice cracking and Jim thought he heard some sobs. God, this wasn’t good.

Jim sighed, massaged his already aching head with one of his hands.

“Did he just ran straight out into the woods, or do you think he ran to the road?” Jim asked, rising from the sofa to grab a glass of water. He drank it quickly, waiting for Jonathan’s answer.

“I think he ran to the woods, I tried going after him but he was too fast, I didn’t see where he was going”, Jonathan said, his voice filled with disappointment and rage. He felt worthless in this situation. He was Will’s big brother and he couldn’t do a damn thing whenever he disappeared.

“Okay. Thank you Byers, I will call in a team with dogs and we’ll look after Will. We’ll find him like we’ve done before”, Hopper said before ending the call and going out to the car, its engine roaring to life when he turned the key.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit gory, just thought I should warn you!
> 
> As always, thank you all so much for the kudos and comments. I greatly appreciate it, makes me so happy you like my story so much!
> 
> /nico

_Earlier the same day…_

“Lucas? Do you hear me? Over.” Mike sat with his legs crossed on top of Eleven’s old bed with his walkie-talkie between his hands. He waited tensely for an answer, but only heard buzzing on Lucas’ channel.

“Lucas! It’s really important, pleaseee answer! Over.” Mike begged, he made his feet shiver in a stressful manner.

Lucas’ channel was quiet.

Mike rolled his eyes and zapped to Dustin’s channel, hoping to get an answer there.

“Dustin? You home? It’s very important, like, red code important! Over”, Mike said, really hoping Dustin would hear him even though their connection was kinda bad. He heard some buzzing and then he heard Dustin breathing on the other line.

“Mike? Over.”

“Dustin! Finally, someone answers me! I’ve got some really really _really_ good and kinda bad news, I really need you, Lucas, Max, and Eleven here. I tried to reach out to Lucas but he isn’t answering… Do you know where he is? Over.”

“Yea, Lucas’s right here, we’re planning our new characters for our next Dungeons and Dragons game. Uhm… We didn’t invite you cause we thought you were at Will’s? Over.”

Mike sighed, why were they planning _new_ characters now? Their last game wasn’t even finished!

“Yeah I was at Will’s house but something happened and… Can’t you guys just come over, please?! I’m gonna try to contact Eleven as well, but please, just come over!” Mike said before turning off his walkie-talkie.

He threw it down on the blankets and went upstairs to make a call to Max’s house to see if she were home. A couple of signals beeped into his ear before Max took the phone.

“Hello, you’re speaking with Max?” her voice sounded like it was filled with giggles. She let out one and made a hushing sound. Mike heard Eleven laughing in the background. He frowned, _they_ were hanging out? That’s odd.

“Yea Max, it’s Mike… I just… I need you and Eleven to come here, I’ve got something important to tell, and it’s about Will. Please just come”, he said and didn’t wait for her to answer, he just hoped they’d show up. He ended the call and sat down on the bed of blankets again, sighing loudly. He felt like an ass for leaving Will earlier but he didn’t know how he could’ve handled the situation differently. They’d had so much fun last night, eating popcorn, watching movies, talking, laughing… _Kissing_. Mike blushed intensely and had to bit his hand to calm himself. Yes, they had kissed _once_ nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary. Or was it? Did this mean he was  _gay_? That Will was  _gay_? Mike hardly knew what gay was. He’d heard on the news that _gay_ people got AIDS from kissing each other. Was he having AIDS now? Did Will have AIDS? Mike felt a bit scared and nauseous, he needed to talk to someone about this but he had no one. He couldn’t speak with Eleven, she’d probably be jealous he’d kissed with Will, he could never speak with Dustin or Lucas, they would never understand… And he definitely couldn’t speak about _it_ with either of his parents. Ted had already talked bad about _gays_ and AIDS, and Mike wasn’t sure Karen would understand it either. Last year, when Will was gone, she’d said that he could talk to her about everything, but did that include this? The _gay_?

Mike shook his head, deciding that he shouldn’t think of _It_ right now. He pulled his fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm down and waited patiently for his friends to come over.

\----

“So… You’re saying you slept at Will’s house last night… That his hair has grown down to his shoulders… That he used a hair tie and had a ponytail… That he’s thinner than ever and that he’s harming himself?” Lucas said suspiciously, his eyes filled with distrust. He leaned back into his chair, his arms crossed over his chest.

Mike rolled his eyes, “You’re missing the point completely Lucas! All of the stuff you just said now is **NOT**. **THE**. **_POINT_**!” he growled, angry and agitated.

“What is the point then? That Will screamed at you, like he did almost every day the past weeks before the Snow Ball, or what the heck do you mean?” Lucas replied, now agitated too.

Dustin rose from his chair and stood between them. “No guys, please, stop fighting!” he said and tried to calm them both down.

Eleven and Max just sat in silence, staring at the boy's fight.

“Yes and no! The biggest point here was that he has **POWERS**! He used _**POWERS**_ , just like Eleven does!” Mike said and glanced at Eleven before he stared at Lucas and Dustin. “He had the exact same nosebleed too!”

“But you said he told you, you said you weren't awake when he used the powers. You didn’t see him using his powers”, Dustin said, looking all doubtful. Lucas nodded, fully agreeing with Dustin as usual.

“And how could he had ended up in the Upside Down when the gate is closed? Isn’t that kinda weird? What do _you_ say Eleven?” Lucas asked her and she just looked at him, not knowing what to say.

“I… I guess… Maybe he somehow opened a rift? I mean if he… If he has powers, then he could open and close the rift j-just like me”, she said after thinking for a moment, trying to form the words so they’d understand her.

“I still doubt this theory”, Dustin said stubbornly, sitting down on his chair again.

Mike stared at him and Lucas with a hurt look. “I don’t understand why you just can’t believe me. Do you even remember _Friends don’t lie_? I would never lie about something like this!” Mike said, feeling helpless.

Max looked at him with her blue eyes. “I believe you, I just don’t see why any of you wouldn’t”, she said, looking at Dustin and Lucas. They chuckled awkwardly, Dustin looked away from her and Lucas rolled his eyes but nodded slowly.

“Okay. Friends don’t lie”, he said, reaching out his hand to Mike so he could shake it. Dustin did the same. Mike grabbed their hands and shook them a little too violent.

“Thank you Max”, he then said and smiled at her. She just shrugged and returned his smile.

“Now, when all of you believe me, we have to make up a plan to make Will feel safe and that he can trust us. He needs us right now, more than ever. We have to be there for him”, Mike continued, looking at each and every one of his friends. Max, Eleven, Lucas, Dustin…

“I agree”, Eleven said quietly. “We need to be there for him.”

“Yes, of course”, said Lucas and Dustin in unison.

Max nodded, “Yeah, without a doubt”, she said and put her hand on the table. “For Will”, she said.

“For Will”, Mike said and lay his hand on Max's hand.

“For Will”, Eleven said and lay her hand on Mike’s hand.

“For Will”, Lucas said, smiling, and lay his hand on Eleven’s hand.

“For Will”, Dustin said and lay his hand on Lucas’ hand.

They smiled at each other.

\----

Will ran through the forest, his feet bleeding but he didn’t feel the pain. He was numb, void of emotion as he ran, ran and ran. Several branches tore his face, leaving bleeding trails after them but he didn’t feel it. He just continued to run. The Shadow was still after him, he heard its growling and breathing but he couldn’t see it. He hunched down behind a tree, feeling the Upside Down breathing beneath the wooden surface while he tried to catch his breath. His chest hurt from running so much, his throat burned and his heart beat like a drum inside his chest.

Will buried his face in his hands and wished with all his being he could just disappear. He felt the wooden surface against his back opening up and letting him in. He fell backward into the Upside Down and saw the webs growing over where he’d come from. The light from the real world faded quickly behind the thick, fast-growing webbing. Will crept into a ball and sucked in the air of wet earth into his lungs. For once these past weeks, he felt a calm coming over him, it was weird considering he’d returned to his biggest nightmare, but he welcomed the feeling. He was tired to his bones, his eyelids became heavier and he fell asleep with the Upside Down breathing around him.

\----

“Will? Will Byers?” Hopper called out, the lights from his flashlight casting shadows over the trees and bushes. A police with a police dog suddenly came up beside him, the dog had found a track, it sniffed at the ground, and panted. Its tongue hung out of the side of its mouth. It barked loudly through the forest. Something rustled in the trees and a bird flew away with panicked chirps.

Hopper had called Joyce earlier, describing the situation and what they were going to do to find Will. She’d started crying almost immediately, wondering why he’d ran out and why she was such a bad mother. It had taken some time before she’d calmed down and Jim had promised her to come to her later when they had found Will.

The dog barked again, almost howling at a large tree where it was standing next to its owner.  

“She’s clearly marking here, I don’t know what she means though. There’s no evidence here, at least I can’t see anything”, the police said and moved out of the way to let Hopper through. He crouched on the ground, next to the panting dog, and dragged two fingers in the dirt. He smelled it, not smelling any out of the ordinary and instead, he poked at the tree’s bark. It had an unusual texture, at first it felt like usual wooden bark, but after touching it some more, he felt the bark turning gooey and saw that it was black and not dark brown. A portal to the Upside Down had opened here recently. Hopper looked at the ground close to the tree again, lightning it up with his flashlight. Clear footprints from a child appeared in the light on the soft ground. A few droplets of blood too. Will had been here, he’d probably gone inside the Upside Down, Jim didn’t know why or how but he just knew Will had returned there.

”Call Dr.Owens, I need him here, right now”, Jim said, his voice made of steel. The policeman nodded and ran to the car to get the walkie-talkie.

Jim looked into his pockets to find his cigarette lightener. He found it, lit it and brought the small flame to the bark of the tree. The tree somehow hissed in pain, opening its bark to reveal a red transparent membrane with black vines going around it. Hopper squinted through the membrane and thought he saw something inside, lying on the ground. Something breathing slowly, almost as if it was asleep.

”Will? Will Byers?” Hopper said, his voice turned muffled through the membrane. The sleeping figure didn’t hear him. Suddenly, something moved on the other side and he heard alien growling. A demodog showed its ugly face and rows of teeth. Jim let out a scared noise and moved backward, grabbing for his gun, aiming the pipe towards the creature. The demodog crushed the thin membrane and came out from the Upside Down, growling like a rabid Saint Bernard’s dog. Jim fired his gun, the bullet hitting the creature’s throat. It dropped to the ground, dead. Hopper let out a relieved sigh. He’d been lucky, this demodog wasn’t fully grown yet so it was weaker than the adult ones.

”I’m sorry Chief, I couldn’t reach Owens, he didn’t pick up his phone and… WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!” The policeman with the dog said as he saw the dead dog on the ground.  

Jim pointed at the demodog with his gun, ”This is a demodog and you’re never telling anyone about this, _comprende_? Otherwise, I’ll have to take serious measures Mr. Smith and I don’t want that”, he said, staring at Smith’s German shepherd. The dog growled at the demodog and gave off a loud bark.

”I-I understand Hopper, my lips are sealed and Sophia’s too”, Smith said, nodding at his dog.

Jim gave them a thumbs up, wondering why Owens hadn’t answered and thinking he needed to give Smith some ’medicine’ to help him forget about the demodog.

”Good… Now, I need you and Sophia to slowly walk away from here. More of these things might come out and I don’t want you to get hurt, okay?” Jim said as slowly as he could, not wanting Smith to panic.

Smith nodded, tugging at Sophia’s leash and whistling at her to come with him. The dog waved her tail as they started walking.

\----

_Enemy_ , _enemy, enemy. Killed us, killed one of us!_

Will opened his eyes widely, staring around him. Black, tentacle-like vines held his body tightly but still allowed him to breathe. They were soft and felt like a wriggling soft mattress. One of them caressed his cheek softly, almost feeling like a hand.  
_DON’T TOUCH ME,_ he demanded, nosebleed erupting from his left nostril. The vine let him go almost immediately, they eased their hold on him and let him go. He dropped to the ground, looking around him and seeing two of the demodogs lying a distance away from him. He felt scared, thinking they might attack him but they didn’t. They lay in the same way, not moving an inch. He sniffled and wiped away the blood with the sleeve of his pajamas. He felt its iron and salt taste on his tongue, the taste reminded him of some chips Jonathan had bought him once.

_Enemy! Here!_

The voice echoed inside Will’s head again. He looked around him, wondering where it had come from but didn’t see anything that would’ve spoken with him. He coughed and wondered if he’d gotten one of the flying grey specks inside his lungs. Suddenly, one of the demodogs rose, it growled and scratched at a portal between Upside Down and the Real world. It wasn’t the same portal Will had come from. Did the voice come from the demodog? Will’s heart beat faster, that couldn’t be right, could it? Why could the demodog _speak_ with him? Did it have to do with his new power?

The demodog hissed and managed to scratch a wide hole into the tree. A thin membrane held the two worlds apart. Will walked quietly to the hole, looking at the Real world on the other side of the membrane. A flashback struck him, he thought of the one time when he’d seen Joyce in the Real world, screaming at him to hide and run. That felt like ages ago.

_HERE IS THE ENEMY!_ the demodog’s voice had gone from quite soft to pure terror. Will jerked in fear and crawled backward, away from the creature. It growled but didn’t follow him, instead, it made a hole in the membrane with its teeth and sprung out, growling loudly. Will heard a real dog whine noisily, rabid growling and teeth meeting flesh. A human man suddenly screamed of fear and sadness. The second demodog came up beside him, and sat down, waiting for Will’s command. Will just stared at it, not knowing what to do. He heard the real dog howling in pain, it sounded like they were fighting. Some tufts of fur flew into the Upside Down through the hole in the membrane. Gunshots roared through the quiet of the night.

_attack_ _…_ _attack_ _… Attack...._ _ATTACK_ _._

Will’s fear suddenly went away. He rose from the wet ground and crawled his way out from the tree. He saw the first demodog that had gone out before, then he saw a… a second demodog? He frowned and almost panicked, it was bloody and whined, panting like a real wounded dog. It lay on the side, its guts hanging out from a hole in its stomach. The first demodog was feasting. Will wondered if he should help the second demodog or just leave it be to die. A third demodog lay a distance away, dead, a bullet wound through its throat.

“B-B-Byers boy?”

Will snapped his head to where the voice had come from. The only thing he saw was a full grown Demogorgon lying on the ground, its hands were outstretched towards him. Will gasped in fear and raised both of his hands, feeling the darkness of his power surging through his veins.

“NO! Leave me alone!” He shrieked, feeling his power pulsate at his fingertips, ready to be unleashed. The adult Demogorgon growled at him, slowly but still quickly getting up from the ground to take him, to hide him, to _kill_ him. Panic mixed with fear roared inside Will as he let his power erupt. His head throbbed in excruciating pain, blood spewed from his nose as the power went out of him, the Demogorgon crying in pain as black shadows encircled it and went inside its eyes and nose. The shadows filled the Demogorgon fully until it exploded into a mass of blood, flesh, and mucus.

Will dropped to his knees, his breathing ragged and his heart beating irregularly. He closed his eyes, trying to make the world stop spinning while catching his breath.

\----

_NO! Leave me alone!_

Hopper’s heart took a wild jump inside his chest as he heard Will Byer’s voice coming from a distance away. He dried his Upside Down-dirty fingers on his pants and started running to where he’d heard Will’s voice. He thought his heart would stop when the slaughter was revealed to him. Sophia, the German shepherd, lay on her side, her stomach opened, her guts lay in a messy pile beside her. A demodog was feasting upon her intestines, its slimy, worm-like appearance wriggling in its mouth. Smith, the policeman, was nowhere to be seen, but the pile of blood and flesh next to Byers, made Jim think the blood and flesh pile might have been him once. Jim could hear Will’s ragged breathing and saw the back of his head, his long hair spilling over his shoulders. He was dressed in a frayed, blood-spattered yellow pajamas with white dots. Lying in the middle of the slaughter.

Jim felt nausea roiling inside his stomach and he turned around, throwing up the little contents his stomach had. He blinked a few times before he steeled himself and brought up his gun and hurried to the Byers boy. The demodog didn't take notice of either of them, it continued to feast on the poor dog’s guts.

Jim kneeled beside Will, laying a hand on his back. “Will? Are you okay?” he asked, his voice filled with worry. Will just lay there, struggling to breathe and not moving anywhere. Jim lifted him and brought him into his arms, holding him in a firm grip. He looked at Will’s face, it was pale and almost yellow. He had black lines going from the corner of his eyes, they looked like small lightning bolts. His eyes were black, like a deep black ocean without any light. But the sight that was most haunting for Jim was the red, thick lines of nosebleed still running from Will’s nose. He looked exactly like Eleven when she used her power to its limit. Was Will the reason for the slaughter? Did Will murder Smith and Sophia? No, it couldn’t be…


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw someone commenting that the characters are a bit out of character and I'm sorry for that! I really try my best to keep them in character, but I will try even more.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for your comments and kudos! I love getting comments. Thank you! 
> 
> /nico

Joyce had walked on and off between the kitchen and the living room through the whole night. She’d refused to eat and drink, the only thing she’d allowed herself to do except for wandering was smoking. She was on her very last cigarette, Jonathan had asked her if she wanted him to go buy another packet but she’d just waved her hand and shaking her head, saying that her blood had too much nicotine and didn’t need more.

Jonathan had spent the evening with looking at pictures from the Snow Ball´84. They’d all been so happy, so full of life, smiling, dancing and in a way loving. He looked at a picture of him and Nancy. They hadn’t seen each other in a while and he missed her. He had to invite her over when Will was feeling better again.  _ If  _ he would ever feel better… Jonathan sighed, putting the photo of his girlfriend away and stared at his mom who sat at the table, her legs jumping stressfully while she drummed her fingers on the table.

They’d talked about bringing Will to Hawkins Lab, to get him under their supervision to see what was wrong with him. Joyce hated it, she certainly didn’t want her son to go through their shit again but she felt like she had no choice anymore. Will needed help, badly. She’d also been thinking of what Owens had told her, that Will’s PTSD could get worse on the anniversary of the events, and the anniversary of his disappearance was coming up quickly.

A heavy knock on the door woke them from their thoughts. Joyce ran so fast she almost tripped and she opened the door. She gasped and tears wet her cheeks when Jim came inside with Will in his arms.

“Blood? Will’s blood?” she sobbed as she took Will from Hopper. She carried him into his room and lay him on top of his bed, caressing his dirty cheek while big drops of tears dropped from her eyes. Will’s breathing was still strained and his eyes were still empty. It was as if he wasn’t actually there.

Jonathan came quickly and stared at his brother.

“What happened? Where was he?” he asked worriedly, his voice thick with held back tears.

Hopper tried to explain everything as less gory as possible but it was hard when it came to the blood on Will’s clothes. He explained the demodog’s fight with Sophia and how his colleague had ended up as a bloody mess, without the gory details, and explained how he connected Will’s bloody nose with Eleven and her power.

“Have anyone of you seen his nose bleeding before? I mean when he seems to use powers? At the Lab maybe?” Hopper asked, looking at Joyce’s heartbroken face. He wanted to hug her, to tell her that everything would be all right but he didn’t dare. Jonathan shook his head with a shrug and sank down on the bed beside Joyce, stroking Will’s forehead with his fingertips.

“No… I have never seen his nose bleed in those situations… But… M-maybe Wheeler’s boy have? Maybe Mike has seen his nose bleed”, Joyce said quietly and sniffled. “Don’t c-call him now though, it’s too late”, she added.

Jim nodded, made a mental note of calling the Wheeler’s house in the morning. “I’m going to see if I can get Dr. Owens to come over, maybe he can help us somehow. I’m sure he’ll know what to do”, Hopper said, trying to give them bits of hope before going to the telephone to try and get hold of Owens again.

“We have to change his clothes Jonathan, we can’t let him sleep in this dirty, tattered clothes”, Joyce said, her voice suddenly determined as she gave Will a soft caress before rising from the bed and going to his wardrobe to find something else for him to wear.

“Of-of course mom, he needs something else”, Jonathan simply replied and gave Will’s feet a quick look. They were dirty and filled with scratches and wounds from stones, branches, and whatnot. “I-I’m going to find a bucket with some hot water and wash him a little”, he said and hurried to the bathroom.

\----

Mike woke up with a muffled scream. He was so scared his hands shivered. His dream, it had been horrifying. He tried to remember what he’d dreamt but it was like it had disappeared from his memory as soon as he had woken. He stared at the ceiling in the dark, trying to collect his thoughts. Four green glow-in-the-dark stars looked back at him, their green light lightening up a small part of the ceiling. He stared at them, counting each one of them. 1-Mike, 2-Will, 3-Dustin, 4-Lucas. He’d chose number four since they’d been four in the party before everything happened.

_ I need to buy two more. One for Eleven and one for Max _ , he thought as he sat up. The blanket rustled as he rose. The sound made him think of El when she still had slept in the basement. He sighed, he missed being able to go down to her whenever he pleased, talking about everything and nothing. He was happy for her sake that she’d moved to Hopper but he still missed her. He looked at his walkie-talkie, it was turned off, lying on his bedside table. Maybe he should call her out, seeing if she was available? No… He didn’t want to wake her. He didn’t want to wake any of his friends. Except for Will… Maybe he would enjoy the company? Mike felt his hands growing sweaty from nervousness. Why was he nervous? It was just Will.  _ Just _ Will. But they weren’t  _ just _ Will and Mike anymore. They were something  _ else _ .

Mike picked up the walkie-talkie, pushing the on button. It started with a few blinks. He dragged the antenna to its full length and switched from Dustin’s channel to Will’s channel. “Will? You awake? Over”, he said quietly, afraid of waking his family. He knew Nancy slept anxiously nowadays, the only times she slept without crying was when Jonathan was over and he hadn’t visited her for a month or so. Mike felt bad for her, she clearly missed the elder Byers and she’d told Mike that she was afraid their relationship might fizzle out. But she’d also told him that she was still in love with Jonathan and that she understood if he didn’t have time with her now with everything with Will. Mike loved her sister dearly, even though she was a pain occasionally, she was wise for being a teenager. He was proud of her.

Will’s channel was open but Mike only heard fast and shallow breathing. Was it Will’s breathing? It had to be, he couldn’t have given the walkie-talkie to anyone else. Mike’s heart beat faster as he grew anxious. Was Will wounded somehow?

“Will? Are you okay? Are you there?” Mike said, his voice growing unintentionally in volume. He threw away his blanket on the floor, it was too hot for it anyway. “Will? Please answer”, Mike said anxiously, feeling a lump growing in his throat. Since when had he turned this sensitive? Jesus…

A sudden knock on the other side of the wall made Mike jerk with fear. “Hello?” he said, his voice cracked.

“What’s going on Mike?” Nancy’s voice on the other side of the wall asked. She was awake, did Mike wake her? He hoped he didn’t but he wouldn’t be surprised if he had.

Mike crawled out of his bed and tiptoed into Nancy’s room with a tight grip of his walkie-talkie. Nancy was lying on her stomach on her bed, she was dressed in a pink nightdress. She looked at him when he came in, her cheeks had black spots from wet mascara. She reminded him of a sad raccoon. “Mike?” she whispered, surprised.

Mike sat down next to her on the bed, showing her the walkie-talkie. “Listen”, he whispered. Nancy frowned at him but she looked at the walkie-talkie, listening closely. Will’s shallow breathing filled the room and the Wheeler siblings looked at each other uneasily.

“Is it Will?” Nancy asked, giving Mike’s shoulder an affectionate pat. Mike nodded, feeling tears burning at the corner of his eyes.

“I-I don’t know what’s wrong with h-him. I woke up from a nightmare a-and I figured maybe he was awake, s-so I called him and t-this is the only t-thing I hear”, Mike said in between sobs. Big, fat tears rolled their way down on his cheeks. He didn’t know why he was crying, he just felt so sad suddenly. Like he had lost something important.

“Oh, Mike”, Nancy soothed and pulled her little brother into a soft embrace. “I’m sorry”, she said as she dried some of his tears with a piece of her nightgown. “I also had a nightmare”, she added a couple of seconds later. Mike looked up at her, the lump in his throat had eased a bit.

“You did?”

Nancy usually didn’t tell him what her nightmares were about, but as with him, he assumed it was about the Upside Down.

Nancy nodded slowly, looking down at him. “Yes… I dreamt that I had returned to the Upside Down and I had no one to help me. I was left all alone, and before I woke up, I saw Barb’s dead body and it was… It was just horrid”, Nancy whispered, her voice filled with pain. Mike hugged her even harder and they both wept some more, together.

“Do you want to sleep here rest of the night?” Nancy asked Mike when they’d stopped crying. “You can use my sleeping bag, or you could sleep either beside me or head to toe. You decide what you’re most comfortable with.”

Mike thought for a moment, “Can… Can I sleep beside you?” he said and Nancy smiled at him, nodding. “Of course Mike”, she whispered and fetched a pillow for him. They shared the blanket.

“We haven’t done this since we were babies”, Nancy chuckled as she lay down next to Mike, looking into his eyes. Mike chuckled too,

“You’re right”, he whispered and put the walkie-talkie next to his heart. 

“You’re going to have the walkie turned on? And placed there? Is that comfortable?” Nancy asked, arching one of her eyebrows.

“If Will wakes up from wherever he is, I want him to feel safe and I figured maybe if he could hear my heartbeat, he would feel like I was there with him”, Mike said, blushing fiercely, but he was still proud of every single word he said. He knew he was the only one that could make Will feel safe and he would do anything in his power to accomplish it.

Nancy stared at her little brother. What was he, 12-13 years old? Since when did he speak like this? Since when had he matured so much? She was immensely proud of him.

“Mike, you’re the best friend Will could have”, she said and kissed his cheek, not knowing what she should do with all of her feelings. Mike laughed softly in return. Maybe he could talk with Nancy about the  _ gay _ , maybe she would understand? Maybe she wouldn’t think he was weird...

“Thank you Nance”, he said and pressed the walkie-talkie even closer to his chest. He closed his eyes, trying to think happy thoughts as he fell asleep next to his sister.

\----

Will’s eyes opened, he stared at nothing. Everything was dark and black, he saw nothing and heard nothing. He rose slowly from where he was lying, his back ached, in fact, his whole body ached but his head ached the most. It felt like he’d been struck with a baseball bat. He stood up and looked around him, seeing nothing except the black water beneath his feet. He was relieved he wasn’t in the Upside Down, somehow this place, wherever it was, felt safer.

A wisp of white smoke suddenly came around him, it swirled around him and formed into Mike. He lay in a bed Will didn’t recognize, someone was beside him but Will couldn’t see who it was. Eleven maybe? Will walked up beside Mike and looked at his face, it was dotted with freckles. Will had always loved his freckles, he thought they looked like stars. His mouth was shaped into a small smile in his sleep. Will saw that he held his walkie-talkie in a cramped grip, close to his chest.

_ Mike _ , Will whispered not knowing if Mike could hear him or not. He reached out his hand to touch one of Mike’s hands but it turned into smoke. As soon as Will didn’t touch him, Mike’s hand become normal. Will couldn’t touch him, he could only see him. He was still glad though, he didn’t feel lonely anymore. Will sat down next to Mike, leaning his head on the side of the bed. At least the bed didn’t turn into smoke. He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very tired. For a moment, he thought he could hear Mike’s heart beating and it soothed him.

\----

The Wheeler’s house phone rang loudly inside the quiet house. Karen opened her eyes, the signal waking her. She gave Ted’s leg a soft kick with her foot, he grunted and rubbed his eyes.    
  
“What…?” he grunted sleepily, closing his eyes again to continue sleeping. Karen sighed loudly and rolled her eyes.

“Ted, the  _ phone _ is ringing. Can you please take it?” She hissed, kicking him a little harder this time.

“Can you  _ please _ stop kicking me?” Ted groaned and got out of the bed. He walked on tired feet to the phone ringing angrily. He gave the clock on the wall a tired glance before he picked up the phone.

“Ted Wheeler?” he said, strangling a yawn. “Mike? Yes, he is here. Do you want me to wake him? Okay, see you, bye”. He ended the call and scratched the back of his head. Jim Hopper, the Chief police of Hawkins had just called him, telling him they needed to interrogate his son. He walked back to the bedroom, quicker this time. Karen was sitting on the bed, she had Holly in her lap. They laughed at something and Karen gave her a forehead a kiss.

“Hopper is coming over, he needs to interrogate Michael”, Ted said from the doorway, feeling all worried. What has Mike done now? He hoped it hadn’t anything to do with that girl, El... Eleven?

“What? Chief is coming?” Karen blurted, rising from the bed still carrying Holly.

Ted nodded,

“Yes, he didn’t tell me what it was about but he’s coming here in a couple of minutes. He didn’t sound angry, so I don’t think it’s anything bad, but we need to wake Mike up. I’ll do it”, Ted said and started walking toward Mike’s room but he was stopped by Karen.

“No, Ted, I’ll wake him. Help Holly dress instead”, she said hastily and gave Holly to Ted’s frowning face.

She knocked on Mike’s door, waiting for an answer but didn’t receive any. She frowned and peeked through the door. “Mike, sweetie?” she said but his bed was empty. A feeling of dread churned her stomach. She opened the door more and saw his unmade bed, his blanket on the floor, the green illuminated stars in the ceiling, his Star Wars toys and the pile of clothes. Everything seemed like it should. She pulled the blinders up before she closed the door and instead walked to Nancy’s room, knocking on her door.

“Nancy?” she said, her voice a bit shrill from worry. She heard the rustle of a blanket and how Nancy quickly made her bed. Had she invited Jonathan over? Or Steve? 

“Nancy, please open the door!” Karen said, with more irritation in her voice than she’d intended. 

Her eldest daughter stepped toward the door and opened it. “Good morning mom”, she said and smiled, not seeming to hide anything. Karen frowned at her and looked behind her, seeing a mop of curly black hair.

“Mike?” Karen said, her voice filled with shock.

“Oh, good morning mom!” Mike said with a bright smile. He sat on top of the bed, holding his precious walkie-talkie. Its antenna almost poked his eye.

“Have…” Karen didn’t know how to form her words. Her son and daughter hadn’t spent time together for some years so she was shocked seeing them together like  _ this _ . She cleared her throat. “Did you sleep together?” she asked with a strained smile, feeling proud of her children somehow.

Nancy’s usually pale cheeks were painted with a soft blush. Mike turned his gaze away awkwardly, fiddling with his walkie-talkie.

“Y-yes mom, we did”, Nancy said, smiling and twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers innocently.

“I’m glad!” Karen said and smiled widely. She looked at Mike again, she had almost forgotten the reason she needed to speak with him. “Mike, please come here. I’ve got something to tell you.”

Mike looked at her with sudden fear, his eyes grew larger and his grip around the walkie-talkie grew harder. Why did he look so scared? Karen wondered. She went into the room and grabbed Mike’s hand. It was sweaty.

“It’s nothing dangerous sweetie”, Karen said as they went out of Nancy’s room and to Mike’s room instead. Mike heard Nancy whispering “good luck” to him before they exited the room. He sat down on the bed and Karen beside him. She looked at her son, saw his worried face and wondered what he was so afraid of.

“Hopper, the police Chief, is coming over. He called and your dad took the call, and he told me Hopper wants to interrogate you about something. I don’t know what he’s going to talk about, but I thought I should tell you and ask you if something happened that you haven’t told me?” Karen said calmly, looking softly at her son. She held his hand on his leg, stroking it lovingly, hoping it would calm his nerves some.

Mike’s eyes went teary, had something happened with Will that he wasn’t aware of? Was Will… Was he dead? Had Will disappeared again? Had the Demogorgon taken him and carried him away somewhere where Mike couldn’t follow? No, this couldn’t be right, Will couldn’t have been taken away? He’d heard his breathing on the channel, Will wasn’t gone. He couldn’t be.

Mike opened his mouth, going to say something about Will but was disturbed by the doorbell. Hopper was here. Time to get interrogated.

“Mike, sweetie, you know you can tell me everything right? And I mean everything, love, girls, school, friends. Everything”, Karen said with heat. She wanted her son to know he could tell her everything, regardless of what it was.

“I know mom, thank you”, Mike said and dried his eyes before he gave her forehead a quick peck. “I need to go, see you later”, he added and ran down the stairs, still dressed in pajamas.

Hopper met Mike downstairs, he was sitting at the living room table with a coffee mug between his hands. He was dressed in his usual police clothing, brown shirt with brown pants and his usual cowboy-like hat.

“Hey kid”, he said calmly as he met Mike’s scared gaze. Mike walked over to him and sat down in the armchair opposite of Hopper. He still held his walkie-talkie tightly, looking at it, hoping to hear something. He had heard nothing more than Will’s breathing since sleeping in Nancy’s room last night. The walkie-talkie was quiet, it was still connected to Will’s channel though.

Ted and Karen came into the room but Hopper dismissed them, he said that it was confidential material he was about to ask Mike of, but that they didn’t have to feel any worry. He wasn’t going to arrest Mike or take him to the station to interrogate him there. They turned right around, closed the door behind them and sat in the kitchen instead, waiting.

“Hey Hop”, Mike said quietly, his gaze going over Hopper as if to see he was hiding something about Will.

Hopper smiled coolly at the kid, resting his back on the comfortable sofa.

“I don’t know if any of your friends know, maybe you know yourself, I don’t know. But Will escaped last night, we found him and brought him home but he…” Jim tried to find the right words, “He isn’t himself. It’s like he’s possessed again or something, we haven’t figured out what it is and we’re waiting for Dr. Owens to fly over. One thing that struck us last night was that Will had dried blood under his nose. This seems crazy I know, but you-”, Jim was interrupted by the kid.

“I know Hopper, I know Will’s got the nosebleed. He has powers. My friends know too because I told them about it. And we’re going to be here for him, possessed or not”, Mike said slowly but with heat and stared at Hopper.

“Can you tell me everything you know?” Hopper asked seriously and took out a notebook and a pen from his bag. Mike nodded and started telling him everything he knew about Will’s powers, when it had started and how it had expressed itself.

”Thank you so much kid, I really appreciate your help. This will help us greatly”, Hopper said thankfully and gave Mike’s cheek a quick caress with his fingers. He closed the notebook and put it into his bag and rose from the sofa.

”I need to go now, but please, just call me if you remember something more”, Hopper added as he adjusted his belt. He was about to leave the room but was stopped by Mike standing in front of him.

”Please Hopper, may I come with you and see Will? I heard him on the walkie-talkie last night, I.. I heard his breathing. He sounded sick somehow because he wasn’t breathing normally. Please, I feel like I really need to see him”, Mike begged whilst looking at Hopper with big eyes. He really needed to see Will, he couldn’t go another night without seeing him. He just had to.

Hopper looked back at the kid, wondering if he should let Mike come with him or not. Joyce hadn’t explicitly told him not to bring Will’s friends. He decided.

”Sure kid, just dress yourself and we’ll be going.”

Mike hurried up to his room to put on some clothes while Jim was downstairs, talking and explaining shortly about his conversation with Mike. He told them they didn’t need to worry, everything was all right and that he was just driving Mike to his house so he could play with Eleven. Ted just nodded, eating some toast while Karen said ’okay’ but she had a worried aura around her. Understandable.

”I’m ready to go”, said Mike in the doorway. ”Bye dad, bye mom”, he said before going outside with Hopper to the car.


	9. Chapter 9

Joyce bathed Will’s feverish forehead with a wet towel. He still hadn’t woken up since his escape last night. She was worried and wondered where he was, in his mind. Was he in the Upside Down or was he in a plane in between? She sighed, thinking that it was no use worrying like this. At least, Dr. Owens was on his way from New York. He wouldn’t be in Hawkins until the next day but it was something. Something that could help her boy. She wished Will’s breathing would stop being so fast though, it worried her that he still was breathing like he was running.

Jonathan came into the room with a small knock on the wall. “How is he?” he asked before he sat down on the other side of Will, feeling his forehead with his hand. “He’s burning up”, Jonathan added worriedly with a sigh.

Joyce nodded, not knowing what to answer and squeezed the wet towel over a red bucket. Some drops of water came out of it and landed at the bottom of the bucket. “I just want him to wake up. To tell us that he’s feeling fine and that we don’t have to worry anymore”, she said and looked at Jonathan with sad eyes. He leaned forward and they hugged quickly.

“Me too”, he whispered.

Joyce jolted when she heard three rhythmic knocks on the door. Hopper had returned from Wheeler’s house. She rose quickly from the bed and in a few steps, she was already at the door. Hopper greeted her on the other side, Mike Wheeler standing next to him. The boy smiled gently at her, waving a little with his hand.

“Mike?” Joyce said and gave Hopper a quizzical glance. _What is the boy doing here_ , she mouthed at him and he just smiled at her, almost smirking.

“The kid here asked me if he could come and visit us and I said it was okay”, Hopper said with a lazy shrug and smiled innocently. Joyce decided to just let it go, she didn’t have the energy to scold Hopper and maybe Mike’s presence would do Will good. He had been a great help before.

“I see, okay”, Joyce said and made a forced smile. She moved out of the way so they could come into the house.

“Where is Will? In his room?” Mike asked as he took off his shoes, standing in the hall, looking at Joyce and Hopper.

“Yes, he’s sleeping… I think. He also has a fever so maybe you shouldn’t be too close to him”, Joyce said kindly.

“No worries!” Mike said as he rushed to Will’s room.

 Hopper took Joyce into the kitchen to talk about the interrogation with Mike.

“Oh, hi Mike”, Jonathan said softly and smiled at his brother’s best friend. Jonathan was still sitting on the bed next to Will, his hand remained on Will’s pale forehead. Mike stepped into the room with careful steps and said a quiet ‘hi’ to Jonathan as he stood next to Will’s side.

“He still hasn’t wake up yet?” Mike asked as his eyes went over Will’s face. It was so pale, he had dark circles under his eyes and he was still breathing quickly and unevenly. His eyes moved under his eyelids like he was dreaming. He was reminiscent of what he’d looked like during the time he was possessed by the Mind Flayer. Mike didn’t like it, didn’t like it at all. He’d thought they were through all that, but apparently not…

Jonathan shook his head, a sad shadow moving over his face. “No, he’s been like this since last night when Hopper came home with him. We’ve tried to wake him but he just won’t wake up. We even gave him some medicine that usually wakes people up but nope, he’s still sleeping. It’s like he’s in trance or something”, Jonathan said quietly and caressed Will’s forehead softly, moving some strands of hair from his eyes.

Mike nodded, sighed deeply and sat down on the side of the bed. He took Will’s hand in his and gently drew his fingertips over Will’s knuckles, hoping it would help him wake in some way. Or at least feel calm, wherever he was.

Jonathan looked at Mike’s hand holding Will’s and thought of what Will had told him before. It felt like ages ago but it had been just a couple of days since Will had confessed his feelings for Mike in front of Jonathan. He wondered if Mike knew about it if Will's feelings were the reason Mike had shown up. He wondered if Mike felt the same for Will. He tried to remember what he’d been like in their age with his first encounter with love but nothing came to mind. Probably because he’d repressed those memories since he’d been bullied in school.

“I think Will’s glad you’re here. He always loved your company, you know”, Jonathan suddenly said, breaking the quiet between them. “He has always regarded you as his best and closest friend.”

Mike turned his gaze from Will’s face and looked at Jonathan, seeing a small smile that had crept upon Jonathan’s lips. He held Will’s hand tighter and smiled shyly.   
“Me becoming friends with Will was the best thing that ever happened to me”, he said softly and looked at Will again, trying not to blush.

\----

“So you’re saying Mike has seen Will using _powers_? How… How is that even possible? It’s not that I don’t believe you but, how is it possible that Will can use _powers_?” Joyce asked, feeling close to being hysterical. She’d suspected this since Will had hallucinated, among other things, but Will _actually_ having powers like Eleven did? That was just a crazy thought. And she wondered where he had gotten those powers from.

Hopper took Joyce’s shivering hands in his and held them firmly but softly. “I don’t know Joyce. I honestly have no clue how, but I do believe Mike’s story and… Well, since Will has been longer in the Upside Down than any of us, maybe it altered his DNA somehow, maybe he got his powers from there. He did have a tendril inside him and he’s been possessed by the Shadow monster or whatever Mike called it. I just hope Owens can give us some answers and I really believe he can!”

Joyce stared at their joined hands but she didn’t move away. It was comforting in a way, them holding hands, and she liked Hopper’s warmth. He was a safe haven for her. They had gone through so much together. He was one reason she wasn’t going fully insane by all of this.

“Yes… I really do hope Owens can give us some answers because this is… This is just making me crazy”, Joyce groaned and released Hopper’s hands to find a cigarette. She rummaged through her bag that was on the kitchen table and found her packet. She took out one and lit it, sucking the toxic deep into her lungs and then blowing it out.

“Can I have one as well?” Hopper asked but instead of waiting for an answer he just took one cigarette from the packet and used Joyce’s lighter.

She chuckled at him, glad that he was comfortable in her presence.

\----

The day went by. Evening fell over Hawkins, the sun beamed one last time through the trees before it went down on the horizon, giving room to the moon instead. Stars began to shine in the sky as the moon rose. It was a cloud-free night so it was colder than usual.

Hopper had driven home quite early this evening, he’d said he needed to pick up Eleven at Max’s house and help her with something, but he promised Joyce he’d come back early in the morning.

Mike had spent the whole day next to Will, hardly moving at all expect when Jonathan came home with takeaway pizza. They’d eaten by the tv, something that Ted and Karen never would’ve allowed. Joyce had smiled at him and said that they never ate at the tv either but that it was an exception today. Mike had returned to Will when he’d finished the pizza. He’d told Will about Max’s newest record on Dig Dug and how Eleven had tried the game out, almost being just as a good player as Dustin. He was impressed with her. He told Will that the gang finally had beat the last boss in Dragon’s Lair. Mike had tried convincing the others that they shouldn’t complete the boss without Will being there but they had just shrugged and done it anyway.

"When they beat the boss, I closed my eyes and held my ears, I didn’t want to be spoiled because I wanted to share the ending with you. We’ll beat Dragons Lair together”, Mike whispered softly as he looked at the still sleeping Will. He hoped dearly that Will would wake up soon. He’d so much to tell him.

\----

Joyce was half asleep, sitting in front of the television. A man with a chef’s hat and a white apron were smiling at her through the TV. He took out the largest base for a chocolate cake she’d ever seen from the oven and slabbed a thick layer of gooey chocolate cream on it. Joyce yawned and rubbed her eyes, thinking it was time for bed. She turned off the tv and the lights in the room. She passed by Jonathan’s room on the way to hers and saw that he was sleeping on top of the bed, still fully dressed and with the light’s on. She went into his room, giving his head a quick kiss before she turned off the light. She passed by Will’s room and peeked inside. All of the lights in the room were turned off except for Will’s red lava lamp. It shone a soft red light. Mike had already prepared the sleeping bag on the floor, but he wasn’t there, he was lying next to Will, his head on Will’s pillow. Their hands were joined together, propped over Will’s chest.

Joyce felt her heart swell. They were adorable. She was happy Mike had come over, it made her feel a bit calmer, having someone else then her and Jonathan watching over Will. She closed the door quietly and went into her bedroom.

\----

Will blinked a few times, licking his chapped lips. He saw the light from his lava lamp and suddenly understood that he was home. When had he returned home? He tried to remember but his memory was a thick haze. The only thing that popped up was a memory of him sitting next to Mike’s bed, being _there_ but at the same time not. Suddenly, his hand tingled, like millions of ants were climbing on it. He looked at it and saw someone else’s hand. Mike's hand. Will jolted when he saw Mike sleeping next to him. Was he dreaming or was this actually real?! He gulped and steered his free hand to Mike’s face, feeling Mike’s cheek softly with careful fingertips. No, this was real, he wasn’t dreaming. Mike was beside him, sleeping soundly. It wasn’t an illusion made up by his crazy mind. Will moved his hand away from Mike’s face, afraid of waking him. He felt his muscles aching like he had done some heavy physical training. Why couldn’t he remember the past day? It frustrated him.

“Will? Are you awake?” Mike's voice was filled with joy and surprise. He stared at Will with huge dark brown eyes. A wide smile beamed at his lips as he realized Will was indeed awake. Will just nodded, he didn’t know what to say, he was just so happy Mike was there beside him, looking at him with his beautiful eyes. Mike pulled Will into a tight hug, laughing happily as they embraced.

“I’m so glad you’re awake. You’ve been sleeping constantly since last night. Joyce and Jonathan have been so worried. I have been worried! And Owens is coming over. I heard Hopper and Joyce talking in the kitchen before”, Mike babbled on, speaking so fast Will hardly followed.

”But Mike, why have I been sleeping? What happened? Where was I?” Will asked, looking at Mike with a confused look. A small wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows. Mike looked at Will, wondering why he didn’t remember anything.

“Do you remember when I slept over the other day? I tickled you, we laughed and then suddenly you screamed at me. I got scared and went home, even though I didn’t want to go. Do you remember?” Mike asked softly but with a hint of concern. He wanted Will to remember, he _needed_ Will to remember.

Will closed his eyes, grasping for memories inside his head, thinking so much it felt like his brain was about to explode. And just like that, the memories flooded him like a tidal wave. He remembered how he’d seen Mike’s hand turn into a Demogorgon’s hand, how scared he’d been. He remembered saying to Jonathan that no one cared about him and how he’d ran through the woods, how he’d somehow ended up in the Upside Down and fallen asleep there. He remembered waking later, hearing the demodogs _talking_ to him. He remembered commanding the vines that had served as his bed to release him. He remembered going out from the Upside Down, seeing a dead demodog and then seeing another demodog fighting with a dog… or was it a demodog fighting another demodog? His heart started beating faster as he remembered how he’d felt his power flood and then explode out of him as he killed a fully grown Demogorgon… No, a human. A policeman and his German shepherd. Will's heart almost stopped when he remembered what **he** had done to the man with his power. He’d killed a man, thinking he’d been a Demogorgon. He’d filled the man with shadows, _his_ shadows and the police had exploded into a pile of flesh and blood.

“M-Mike… I’ve k-k-killed a m-man…” Will’s voice was thick with anxiety and sorrow.

Mike just looked at Will’s face, not understanding what Will was talking about. He took a harder grip of Will's hand, keeping it next to his chest.

“What do you mean Will? You haven’t killed anyone. I would’ve known if you did”, Mike whispered softly as he drew lines between Wills knuckles with his fingertips.

Will shook his head, “No, I-I-I was… I killed him”, Will whispered, some tears escaping his eyes as he started crying. A sudden surge of his power raked through his body, he instinctively put his hand on Mike’s forehead, showing him his memories from the dreadful evening.

Mike stared at the trickle of nosebleed coming from Will's nostril when he’d seen the memory. Will had really killed that police. The way he’d filled the man with shadows, filling and filling until he burst. Mike would never forget the sight of it. But at the same time, he couldn’t blame Will. He’d seen how Will had thought the police was a Demogorgon, Will had just acted in self-defense, not out of evil. Eleven had also acted in self-defense when they’d been in school and the agents from Hawkins Lab had appeared. She’d killed them one by one, making their brains explode.

Will let out a heart-shattering sob. “I d-d-d-didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to kill him!”

“I know Will, I know you didn’t”, Mike said, his voice cracking as a lump in his throat made it harder to speak. He pulled Will closer and held Will’s shivering body close to his.

“I’m a m-monster. I’m not even a h-h-human anymore. I’ve p-powers b-but I’ve s-sacrificed my h-humanity for them”, Will whispered through his tears. ”It’s like in D&D, I’ve been in the darkness for too long…”

Mike’s shook his head firmly. ”No, Will, you’re a human, you’ll always be a human, powers or not!” he said with heat and looked into Will’s puffy eyes. He couldn’t see the monster Will was talking about, he only saw Will, William Byers, looking back at him, his best and closest friend.

Will sniffled and dried his tears with a piece of his pajamas. Mike lay his hand carefully on Will’s cheek and stroke it lovingly. A warm butterfly tickled his stomach, he wondered if Will had a butterfly too. Will leaned into Mike’s touch and closed his eyes.

”Thank you… f-f-for always being here, I mean”, Will whispered quietly. Mike pulled Will’s face closer to his and smiled when he saw Will open his eyes, looking at him.

”I’ll always be here”, Mike said, looking into Will’s eyes as he leaned closer and kissed Will’s salt tasting lips.

Will’s heart fluttered like a bird’s wings when he felt Mike’s lips upon his. In this brief moment, he felt like a human again, the shadows from the Upside Down escaping his mind briefly. Maybe his mysterious power was temporary, maybe it would disappear if he stayed in the Real world without visiting Upside Down at all. Maybe it would disappear if he kept holding on to Mike.

\----

The next day dawned, birds started chirping as soon as the sun went up on the horizon. It was a beautiful day; the sky was clear and not a single cloud could be seen. A raven flew outside Byers’ house, it cawed ominously, flying between Will’s window and a nearby tree. It managed to land on Will’s windowsill, cawing even louder as it wanted to get inside his room.

Will opened his eyes, seeing the light from the sun beaming between his blinders. A black shadow sat outside his window, he stared at it, feeling fear growing inside. He rose from the bed, careful of not accidentally hitting Mike in the process. He felt the cold floor on his feet as he stood on unsteady legs. He walked silently to the black creature, keeping his gaze steady on it, careful of not walking too fast. It sat still on the windowsill, cawing quieter now as Will came closer. Will parted the blinders and saw the raven’s black eyes peer at him. Its feathers shimmered beautifully in the sunlight. It let out a loud caw before it spread out its wings and flew away. Will stared after it, wondering what all of this meant. He remembered from mythology class in school that ravens usually were a bad omen of something to come.

The Byers family's phone rang loudly, it’s signal sounding aggressive in the quiet house. Will wondered if Joyce would hear it and pick it up or if he should be the one to do it. He waited a couple seconds before he heard his mom’s footsteps walking quickly over the floor to pick it up. Will sighed, relieved, and returned to the bed, creeping under the blanket next to the still sleeping Mike.

Moments later, Will heard Joyce knocking on his door. He mumbled ‘yes’ with his head still buried in his pillow, not wanting to wake Mike. Joyce came into her son’s room, seeing the two boys still sleeping together. She smiled warmly and tiptoed to Will, kneeling at his side and stroking his head lovingly.

“Baby, are you awake?” she whispered softly, careful of not speaking too loud. Will turned his head toward her face, opened his eyes and looked at her, nodded.

“Good”, Joyce said softly. “Dr. Owens called, he said he wants you, me and Hopper at the lab as soon as you’ve dressed and eaten something. What do you think about that?” She asked she didn’t want him to feel forced to do anything if he didn’t want to.

Will thought of Dr. Owens and the Lab and felt a slight worry. What if they found something in him that wasn’t good? Something they needed to remove with a surgery… A chill went down his spine as he thought of needing to be caged again in that small hospital room. He didn’t want that, at all.

Joyce saw Will’s face expression changing from neutral to concerned and a bit frightened. She continued to caress his hair calmly, not wanting him to feel bad in any way.

“Mom, I d-don’t w-want to b-be c-caged again. L-like I was last time, w-when **he** was inside me. I d-don’t want to f-f-feel like a f-freak again, like s-some m-mad man”, Will stuttered, feeling panic building inside him.

“No, no no no, Will. I won’t let them do that to you again. You won’t be caged, I will not allow it. Dr. Owens said that he just wants to examine you a bit, he didn’t say anything else. Hopefully, we’ll be back home in a few hours”, Joyce said, trying to assure and calm her son. Will freaking out wasn’t an option right now, this needed to go smoothly.

Will nodded after a couple of seconds, trusting Joyce fully. “Okay, I trust y-you. I-I will go to the L-lab”, he said firmly with a nod.

Relief washed over Joyce, she was so glad Will had agreed. This would be a step in the right direction, she was sure of it. This would make everything better. She kissed his forehead.

“I will go to the kitchen and fix some breakfast for all of us, then Jonathan will drive Mike home while you and I go to the Lab where Hopper will meet us. Okay? Sounds good?”

Will nodded slowly, wishing and hoping that the visit to the Lab would do something good for them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow update. Hope you liked the chapter even though it is a bit short!


	10. Chapter 10

Jonathan rang the doorbell, feeling a bit nervous as he heard someone walking on the other side to open the door. He hoped Nancy would open the door so he could see her, maybe say hi and if she had the time, invite her to a café to drink some coffee and talk. They really needed to talk.

Mike stood beside him with a disappointed look on his face. He’d protested during the car ride, insisting that he needed to go with Will to Hawkins Lab since he was the only one that could make Will feel safe. Jonathan had said that he understood what Mike meant and that he wanted him to come with Joyce and Hopper, but that he couldn’t do anything about it even though he wished he could. Mike had just looked at him with a defeated glint in his eyes, then he’d gone quiet, not saying anything more. Jonathan assumed he was thinking about going to the Lab despite being told not to. Mike was not _his_ responsibility however and he hoped Ted and Karen would look after him tonight.

Nancy met them in the doorway when she opened the door. She was dressed in a black sweater with embroidered flowers on the front and a black skirt. She looked at Jonathan and a warm smile spread across her lips when she recognized him.

“Jonathan”, she said with a surprised gasp and then she looked at Mike. “And Mike, hi”, she said. Mike went silently inside, not even looking at his sister. He dropped his backpack on the floor before rushing to his room, closing the door behind him with a bang.

“What’s up with him?” Nancy said with a frown and smiled at Jonathan. They went inside the house, Karen and Ted were nowhere to be seen. Nancy said they’d gone to the supermarket and would be back in an hour or so. Jonathan took Nancy’s hand in his, saying he needed to tell her something and took her to her room. When she’d closed the door behind them, they sat down on Nancy’s bed. Jonathan still held her hands when he told her about what had happened the latest days with Will and everything surrounding him, explaining Mike’s behavior.

“So, Joyce and Hopper are taking Will to the Lab now? Is that such a good idea though? What if they… Do stuff to him?” Nancy said worriedly, looking at their joined hands. Jonathan caressed her hands with his fingertips.

“I know… I’m really worried but I can’t do anything. Mom has really tried everything with Will, but he’s just getting worse. He needs professional help, he needs someone that can see what’s up with him, because of his behavior… It’s not… It’s not normal. And the only people we know can help him at this point are the Lab people… I don’t want him going there but it’s our only choice, we can’t do anything else”, Jonathan mumbled gloomily, he hadn’t noticed that his eyes had become a little teary.

Nancy nodded slowly,   
"I understand..." she said, not knowing what to say to comfort him. She agreed with him, maybe Will going to the lab was the best that could be done for him at this point. She knew how much Joyce had fought to get everything to work but it wasn’t just enough. She just hoped the people at the lab wouldn’t hurt him.

A tear rolled its way down on Jonathan’s cheek. Nancy looked at him, almost crying herself upon seeing his devastated face and pulled him into a tight hug, holding him in her arms as he started to cry heartbreakingly.

\----

Mike heard Jonathan crying on the other side of the wall. He sat on top of his bed, staring at his walkie-talkie, thinking if he should call Dustin and Lucas to see if they were up to cycling to the Lab. He thought about calling Eleven as well to see if she could come over and somehow contact Will when he was at the Lab. He knew that Will had some kind of communicative power as Eleven did because he’d told Mike about the black sea. Eleven had explained to him that she always ended up in the black sea whenever she was looking for people with her power. It was only logical that Will could use it too since he also had powers. Maybe they could meet up there, maybe Will could tell Eleven about what they did to him at the Lab and if they were going to keep him there or not.

Mike pressed the ON-button on the walkie-talkie and dragged the antenna to its full length. He switched the channel to Eleven’s, hearing only a static noise.

“Eleven, are you there?” he asked, hoping she would answer. He wondered what she was up to, he knew she’d had a sleepover at Max’s house the other day. They hadn’t talked for a while, sure they’d seen each other the other day in his basement but they hadn’t been alone as much as they had been last year. After the Snow Ball, after their first kiss, it had just been awkward between them. He liked her very much, it wasn’t like he didn’t want to be with her but when Will had grown worse he had just started focusing on him instead. He wanted to be there for him, never wanting to make Will think he chose a girl over him. Their friendship was just too strong for that and Mike wasn’t a bad friend. And Eleven, as forgiving as she was despite everything she’d gone through, she understood what he meant when he said he had to look after Will. And he was so happy and grateful she’d understood what he'd meant. She was a very good friend and he hoped her feelings for him would cool down eventually. He knew they would, she had other things to focus on now than him, she had a family now, a real _papa_ and she was getting along very well with Max despite the jealousy incident last year. Everything would end well, in one way or another.

“Mike?” Eleven’s voice was soft as usual when she said his name. Mike smiled, he could imagine her sitting in front of a static TV, her eyes hidden behind a blindfold.

“Yes, it’s me. I think Will is in danger, he’s going to the Lab again today, actually, he’s on his way there now. I don’t have a good feeling about this. I figured I should gather the gang together and maybe you could come over and help us with communicating with Will”, Mike babbled quickly, his thoughts rushing around inside his head as he talked.

“Yes Mike, I will come over and help. But I’m at home with Hopper, but Hopper is not home. I have no… Bike”, she said, hoping Mike would understand what she meant. Hopper had driven off early in the morning to meet Joyce and Will at the Lab. He’d promised Eleven he would buy her a bike when the next payment came and teach her how to ride it.

“I can ask Jonathan to come and pick you up, I will ask him, wait a sec. He's here with Nancy."

Mike hurried to Nancy’s room and knocked on the door, telling her that he was sorry to disturb but that it was important.

Nancy opened the door and met Mike with a hug. He hugged her back for a moment before releasing her and looked at Jonathan.

”Do you think you can pick up Eleven? Please? I don’t know the way there yet, otherwise, I would’ve biked there and pick her up myself.” He smiled his softest smile.

Jonathan looked at Nancy, seeking her confirmation. She just smiled at him.

”It’s okay, I will go with you”, she said.

Jonathan let out a quiet chuckled and they went together to Jonathan’s car. Nancy could always make him feel a bit better.

 ——

”Okay! Now that the whole gang’s all here we need to make up a plan to help Will if something happens!” Mike said as he cleared the table from the Dungeons and Dragons game board. Figures and monsters dropped to the floor.

Eleven looked at him, nodding. Lucas just watched his friend skeptically. Dustin had a distraught look on his face as the table was cleared of the game, he hoped Mike had made a note on how their characters were positioned and which monster they were facing.

”As I just told you, Will’s on his way to Hawkins Lab and we just can’t trust those guys. I know Joyce trust Dr.Owens a bit since he was quite helpful last time, but I still don’t trust him fully. He’s hiding something”, Mike said dramatically as he moved Will’s wizard figure to the middle of the table so all of his friends could see it.

”And”, Mike added, ”That’s why we need Elevens power. We know she and Will have communicated mentally before. I don’t know exactly how you do it”, he said and smiled at Eleven and she blushed slightly, ”but if we suspect Will is in danger somehow, we can use Eleven to talk with him, and maybe she even could help him get away from the Lab.”

Lucas eyed Mike with a frown,

”And how do you expect us to get into the lab to see if he’s in danger? From what I remember the place was all fenced up and had cameras!” he said and waved his arms dramatically.

”It’s not like we can just barge in there through the doors. They would never allow us to do it”, Dustin added slowly. He didn’t want Mike to get upset but it seemed like he hadn’t thought this out completely.

”I know Lucas and Dustin!” Mike said angrily. ”But I haven’t told you everything yet!”

”Go on”, Max said sweetly. Eleven eagerly nodded.

”I visited Will yesterday and he could somehow use his power and show me mental images of his memories! He placed his hand on my forehead and showed me. I figured maybe Eleven could do the same, and if you can”, Mike said eagerly, looking at her with excited eyes, ”You can show us all how Will is doing in the lab!”

Eleven just stared at Mike, thinking over his words. She hadn’t tried using her power like that. It would require some serious energy, they would have to load up with Eggos since Will would be some miles away from them. Maybe she needed to test if she could do the mental-image thing first though.

”But how is Eleven supposed to show us what she sees? I don’t see her having more than two arms!” Lucas said and Dustin laughed, imagining Eleven with four arms and just as many hands.

“I was thinking maybe she could use the TV-screen or something to show us. Like a link between her head and the TV-screen. I don’t know if it’s going to work but… What do you think about all of this El?” Mike asked softly, looking at her with a reassuring smile.

Eleven smiled at him, she’d finally thought everything through.

“I think I can do it, but I need Eggos, loads of them. Will is far”, she said, Dustin laughed at the Eggos part, “And I think I need to test it first”, she added and smiled shyly. “I mean if I can do the head image-thing”, she added.

“Sure! Okay! Who do you wanna test it out on?” Mike asked he felt really positive right now. Maybe this would all work out, maybe they could actually help Will if he needed it.

“Mike”, Eleven said determined and Mike just nodded, agreeing with it. “I need a blindfold and static… noise sounds?” Eleven added with an unsure look on her face.

“I will fetch it, wait a minute!” Dustin said as he rushed to find the things Eleven needed.

“Come Eleven, we can sit there”, Mike said and pointed at her old sleeping place. She followed with him and they sat down on the mattress and blankets. Dustin returned with the blindfold and Lucas lay down his buzzing walkie-talkie next to Eleven. She knotted the blindfold around her head and lay the walkie-talkie in her lap. She closed her eyes and focused on going to the black sea, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. The black sea was all around her, silent and dark. She stood upon it, looking for Will’s presence. She felt a sensation of his presence, it grew stronger as she started to walk faster. He appeared suddenly, sitting in the seat of a car. She stood beside him and touched his shoulder, for the first time ever, the part she touched didn’t turn into smoke.

_Will_ , Eleven whispered as he looked into her eyes, the sensation of his presence grew stronger as he loosed his consciousness to the black sea. Suddenly, he was just _there_ with her. The car disappeared and Will just stood in front of her, looking at her with a confused look.

“Eleven?” he said, his voice worried.

Eleven smiled at him, trying not to look intimidating or worried. She still had her hand on his shoulder.

“No danger, not bad”, she said simply, hoping he would understand that he wasn't in danger.

Mike gasped when Eleven’s hand suddenly was placed on his forehead. For a brief moment, he saw Will and Eleven standing somewhere where everything was completely black. He wondered where they were and how they could stand on literally nothing. Eleven held her hand on Will’s shoulder and Will looked at her with a worried gaze. The image disappeared as Eleven’s hand dropped back to her lap. Mike looked at his friend, thinking she was amazing.

“It works, she can do it too!” Mike exclaimed to his friends. They were all sitting around them, squashed together in the small area of blankets and pillows. Dustin and Lucas whooped loudly and Max said “YES! That was FREAKING awesome!”. They all hugged as Eleven opened her eyes and took off the blindfold. A thin line of nosebleed adorned her face together with a wide smile as she said:

“I can help Will.”

\----

”How are you feeling baby? You’re so quiet”, Joyce said, giving Will a quick look before looking at the road again. He hadn’t said a word during the whole car ride and she was worried he was going apathetic. He just stared out of the window, looking at the trees passing by quickly. His eyes closed suddenly and they moved under his eyelids as if he were in deep sleep. His whole body suddenly went completely limp.

“Will!” Joyce shouted as she drove to the side of the road and stopped the car. She opened her seat belt and ran to the other side of the car, opening Will’s door hastily. She unfastened his belt, checking if he was breathing which, fortunately, he was. She put a hand on his forehead, and leaned his head backward, lifting his chin upward so he wouldn’t be choked by his own tongue.

“Will, come on, wake up!” She begged panickily and stroke his forehead lovingly. A small trail of nosebleed erupted from one of Will’s nostrils. Joyce eyed it, millions of thoughts rushed through her head. Was he using his power  ** _now_ **? Where was he? How did he use his power when she didn’t see him doing anything? Could he somehow move his mind into another plane?

Will suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Joyce with a dazed look, like he had just woken up from a dream.

“Mom?” he said, his voice small and worried.

Joyce just hugged him tightly and sobbed once but no tears came out of her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay, you… disappeared for a moment there”, Joyce explained to her son’s confused face. She kissed his forehead before wiping his nose with a napkin and went to her side of the car, hurrying.

“But you’re fine now!” Joyce said with a stressed chuckle, started the car and drove to the road. The car’s tires screeched as Joyce accelerated.

Will didn’t say anything else during the car ride. He was quiet again, looking out the window at the sky and trees. He felt an itch to draw the sky, it was a long time ago he’d felt the itch and he was happy to feel it again. He’d missed it, sitting at his desktop, pulling out his multiple colored crayons and white paper... He needed to draw something when they were back home again.

\-----

“You feelin’ okay kid?” Hopper asked Will as the boy exited the car and looked at him with large eyes. Hopper could see that he clearly didn’t want to be here, not at all. He looked like a frightened animal, soon to be eaten.

“N-no”, Will stuttered and looked at Joyce who came up behind him. They walked into the lab together and was greeted by Dr. Owens who stood in the entrance. He looked a bit tired but still smiled at them.

“Hello Will, I’m glad to see you again. Your hair has grown really long!”, he said but Will ignored him, didn’t even cast a look at him. Owens just chuckled, not really blaming Will’s behavior. He felt Joyce gaze upon him, if gazes could kill, she would be burning holes in his skin. He greeted them both with a simple handshake before they went to a small examination room.

“Now Will, I want you to lay down on the gurney and I’ll fetch my tools”, Owens said slowly before he went into another room. Joyce found a chair and carried it to the side of the gurney and sat down, grabbing Will’s hands in hers, looking at him with a smile. She felt calmer now when they finally were here. Everything would turn out all right, she was sure of it. Hopper stood beside her, his hand on her shoulder.

“How are you feeling?” Joyce asked Will quietly as she eyed him. He just gave her an indifferent look and a shrug. He remained silent and stared at the door, waiting for Owens to return. He would not speak if he wasn’t required to.

Owens returned to the small room and put an EEG-reader on Will’s head. A nurse came in and took Will’s blood pressure before she exited the room, leaving them. Owens moved another chair to the other side of the gurney and sat down. He held a notebook and a pen.

“Now Will, I want you to tell me how you’re feeling. I see that you’ve lost some pounds since the last checkup. From what I’ve heard from your mom and pop, you’re not feeling that well, are you? You have hallucinations of the monsters from the Upside Down, am I right?” Owens spoke softly. His voice was calm, it reminded Joyce of a lullaby somehow. It was soothing and she hoped it would have the same effect on Will.

Will nodded slowly, suddenly looking very frightened. He told about his hallucinations, what the monsters looked like and how often they had visited him. He explained his dreams and how the shadows had taken a bite off him. He also told Owens about him being able to control the beasts, that he’d attacked the biggest one by commanding the smaller ones to attack it. He told Owens about his nosebleeds and how he’d heard the demodogs talk to him when he was inside the Upside Down. During his story, the electrical activity of his brain peaked as he got more and more anxious and stressed the more he explained. The machine printed out paper after paper of his brain's electrical activity, going into a frenzy.

Joyce tried calming Will down by caressing his hands, but it was to no avail. Will was really upset and she felt helpless.

“Joyce and Jim, I need you to leave, I’m sorry but I need you to”, Owens said seriously as Will suddenly started crying hysterically. His PTSD had kicked in.

“No! Are you crazy? Do you think I’m gonna leave my son here like this? With, with **you**?!” Joyce snarled angrily and rose violently from the chair. Hopper took a firmer hold of her shoulders, almost guiding her out of the room.

“ **NO**! What are you doing? I can’t leave him!” She screamed as a nurse came in, grabbing her harshly.

“I’m sorry Joyce, but we need to examine him even closer, you can’t be in the same room while we do so. I’m so sorry”, Owens said firmly.

The nurse escorted Hopper and Joyce out of the room and into another room further away from where Will was. Three chairs were in front of a large TV screen showing Will still crying hysterically.

“What the HELL are you doing? Let me be with **MY SON**!” Joyce shouted angrily as the nurse forced her to sit down on one of the chairs in front of the TV.

“We didn’t agree to this!” Hopper said angrily through the microphone that was connected to Will’s room. Joyce stared at him, not believing what he’d just said.

“Agree? Did you and that _SON_ OF A **BITCH** come up with an agreement without my consent?! Without Will agreeing to it?!” She snarled, feeling so angry she could’ve scratched his eyes out. She hated him in this moment, hated him with her whole being. Hopper looked at her sadly and nodded.

“I’m sorry Joyce, I had to agree to this without you knowing, otherwise the guys that run this hell of a place wouldn’t have let us come here. Me and Owens have no power against them. I’m so sorry Joyce”, Hopper said and hated that he’d lied to her. Joyce just scoffed angrily and decided to ignore him and just focus on Will on the screen.

Two nurses came into Will’s room, carrying portable heaters. Owens closed the door behind them and locked it. He went to Will and tied his arms and legs to the bed with cuffs. Will flailed and struggled in panic, screaming and crying. The nurses connected the heaters and turned them to max warmth. The screams that came out of Will broke Joyce’s heart a thousand times over. She’d never thought she would have to live through this again, seeing her boy panicking and screaming like this, suffering. She hated herself, she hated that she’d been stupid enough to bring him here. She put her hands on her ears and sobbed violently. Hopper turned her away from the TV and held her in his arms.

His reaction to the heat could only mean one thing, that he still had parts of the Mind Flayer inside him.

“NO!!!” Will shouted, “STOOOOP!” he shrieked as the heat burned his skin, it felt like he was on fire, burning all over his body. “NO NO NO!” Will roared and cried, his small body tossing and turning violently in the bed. Large patches of sweat wet the bed’s blanket.

One of the nurses came with a large syringe and was about to shove it into Will’s arm, but his struggle suddenly stopped. He just lay there, still as a statue. Owen saw nosebleed trickling from his nose ominously as a large rift opened in the wall to the right. The Upside Down’s black presence filled the room and the nurses screamed as a large demodog slashed its way out of the other dimension. Will stared at its flower-like face filled with teeth, his head throbbing like it would explode any second.

_HELP ME, TAKE ME AWAY FROM HERE_ , he commanded it and it growled loudly at Owens and the nurses before it jumped on top of the bed, biting through the cuffs to release Will. Another demodog jumped out of the rift, barking angrily as it felt the threat from Owens and the nurses. It whined when it felt the heat and was about to run back into Upside Down but Will stared at it,

_STAY_ , he commanded. It froze in its steps, waiting for Will to give another command. It was completely under Will’s rule.

Will climbed up on the large demodog’s back and lifted his hand, aiming it at one of the nurses.

_KILL, KILL, KILL!_ he demanded, his head throbbing even more painfully as blood erupted from his nose.

The second demodog followed his command, it growled loudly and jumped at one of the nurses, biting through her throat. Red blood spurted on the walls, painting them red instead of white. Owens shouted in fear and together with the second nurse tried to get out of the room, he fumbled with the lock and managed to open the door at the last second. He closed it and heard the demodog’s claws slashing the door.

Will spurred the demodog with his heels, forcing it to move toward the rift. They were almost there when the heaters in the room suddenly became even warmer. Heat came from the walls and the ceiling, boiling Will's skin. The Mind Flayer screamed inside his head. Will's mount whined loudly in pain and shook him off violently, he landed on the floor with a thud, hitting his head.

“NO!” he howled when his mount and the second demodog ran into the rift, leaving him behind. The rift closed behind them, leaving Will alone in the room with a dead nurse. He let out a gasp of pain before the world around him turned completely black. He passed out.

Dr. Brenner stood by the television, watching the boy with a sly smile playing on his lips. He’d started the heaters in the ceiling and the walls, he'd installed them last year when he’d heard of the Mind Flayer being inside the boy. Joyce stared at him, not knowing who the man with the grey hair was and wondered how he could’ve just appeared without hearing him. She was close to losing it herself, she didn’t know how to handle this situation at all. She would have nightmares for weeks, dreaming about Will commanding the monsters, making them kill for him. She just wanted all of this to be over.

Hopper felt an insane anger taking over him as he saw Brenner and was about to give him the punch of the year but Brenner just smiled at him, not scared in the slightest. Hopper wondered how he could still be alive, how he could still be here, how he could dare show his face with all that he’d done to Eleven and the other kids. He also felt fear, was he aware that Eleven was alive, living with _him_? Had Owens told Brenner about Eleven’s birth certificate?

“If you touch me, I will make my guards go into that room and shoot the boy, right on the spot”, he said coolly eyeing Joyce and Hopper with a dark gaze.

\----

Mike saw Eleven standing at the black sea through the TV-screen, Max was sitting beside him, her eyes were large as she stared at the screen in awe. Lucas and Dustin had the same expression on their faces. Max had never seen anything like this, she’d just heard them talking about Eleven’s powers but the other girl had never shown them to her. Not like this anyway.

Eleven on the TV started running, she could feel Will’s presence being really close to her. He was in great pain, it was so strong she could almost feel it herself. She ran faster and Will’s small body appeared in front of her. He was lying on the floor, a wound split open at the back of his head. Blood seeped out from the wound, coloring some parts of the water red. She kneeled at his side, looking at his chest to see if he was still breathing. His chest rose and sank but weakly.

“Will is wounded!” Mike blurted out and rose quickly from the chair, he needed to protect him, to go to him and help him.

“Where’s Joyce? And Hopper?” Dustin and Lucas asked at the same time, staring at the screen.

Max took a tight grip on Lucas’ hand, she was scared and didn’t want to see more.

Eleven tried to make Will wake up but he wasn’t _there_ with her. She rose, thinking she might leave the black sea to see what the gang were planning to do now when they’d found out Will was wounded, but some other presence piqued her interest. A presence she recognized almost too well.

Mike was already packing his backpack, it was stuffed with all sorts of medical supplies they had found in Wheeler’s house. Eleven suddenly ripped off her blindfold, the TV shutting down dramatically. She stared at them with a ravaged look on her face.

“P-papa…” She said weakly and coughed, she was very tired. “Papa at the lab!” she cried out before passing out.


	11. Chapter 11

”El? El? Eleven? Are you okay?” Mike placed his hands on her shoulder and shook, wanting her to wake up as quickly as possible. She’d been out a couple of minutes, longer than he’d experienced before. He hoped she wasn’t hurt somehow, and she needed to wake up and tell her what she meant about Papa being at the Lab.

Dustin dropped five packets with frozen Eggos next to her. He kneeled beside her and looked worriedly at Mike.

“I hoped the sound of dropping Eggos might wake her up”, he said sheepishly with an innocent smile.

Mike rolled his eyes with a scoff and shook her shoulders again. “El, you’ve got to wake up!” He said desperately. Max and Lucas sat next to her as well, looking at her with frowned faces.

Eleven suddenly opened her eyes and looked at her friends. “Sorry…” she sighed tiredly and rubbed her eyes. “Weak”, she said, eyeing the Eggos hungrily. Dustin opened a pack for her and she wolfed down the Eggos under a minute.

“Stronger now”, she said and smiled. She still looked really exhausted but at least she wasn’t passed out anymore.

Her friends laughed, glad she was okay, but their laughs were a bit tense. This whole situation with Will at the Lab, being able to control the demodogs like that, the way he’d killed the nurse without blinking… It was worrying, really worrying. Was it Will who ordered the dogs to kill the nurse or was it the Mind Flayer? It seemed like it was Will, or was it both? Mike was worried about Will, he’d hit his head pretty bad in the fall from the demodog. He just wanted to go to him  _now_ and help him.

“Did you feel papa at the lab? Or did you see him? Was he there?” Lucas asked quickly, looking at El.

Eleven explained to them how she’d seen Will, trying to contact him but he wasn’t _there_ , his body was there but his mind wasn’t. Then she told them how she’d felt Papa’s presence and that she’d seen him sitting in a room with Joyce and Hopper. 

“But… Did you know Brenner was still alive? I thought he was dead, a Demogorgon killed him, didn’t it? At our school?” Mike asked, highly confused, almost panicked due to the situation. He wanted to go to the Lab _now_.

Eleven shook her head slowly, “No… It didn’t kill him. I don’t know how he… survived. B-but I knew he was alive, Kali, my s-sister told me. She brought me to a friend to Papa who told me he was still alive”, she said, uttering the words slowly and with multiple pauses.

Max, Lucas, Mike, and Dustin frowned. “You’ve known he is alive but hasn't told us about it?” Dustin asked, his voice loud. Eleven looked at him with a hint of fear in her eyes. Max lay her hand supportively on her back.

“Don’t sound so mad Dustin!” she said and gave him an angry look.

“But it’s vital information! For what we know, he could be after you in this moment!” Dustin said with his eyes on Eleven and flailed his arms dramatically.

Mike shook his head violently, “No! Hopper would never allow that to happen. He’s protecting El, I’m sure the information about her is classified or something. Hopper would never let Brenner near her again!”

Lucas nodded, “Of course, don’t worry about Brenner Eleven!” he said reassuringly.

Eleven nodded gratefully and smiled at him.

“But if he doesn’t care about Eleven anymore, he will be after Will instead”, Mike said gravely and looked at his friends. “Brenner has seen his powers, he will use him… I’m sure.”

“But… We can’t let that happen to Will! He has already been through so much already. We need to help him somehow!” Max said, and the other boys and girl agreed.

“But how? Like Lucas said before, we can’t just barge into the Lab, we need to sneak in”, Dustin said, trying to think of a good plan.

They all thought for a couple of minutes, trying to come up with a foolproof plan.

“Maybe… Maybe El could try to contact Will again, and make him open a rift to the Upside Down somewhere? We could go through the rift and make our way into the lab through the Upside Down. No one would notice us, we would be like rogues!”

Mike suggested, suddenly filled with excitement as he looked at them.

Dustin gave him a sickened look. “I’m not sure I want to go into the real thing after being in the… underground area”, he said with disgust and crinkled his nose.

Lucas rolled his eyes at Dustin, “This is for Will you stupid nut, we need to help him! We agreed to it earlier! I vote for Mike’s idea!”

“Me too!” Max said.

“Me too, but… What if I can’t contact him? What if he doesn’t answer? I can’t open a rift again, not like I did before when I escaped from Papa”, Eleven said slowly and looked at her friends as if they were blaming her for not being able to open a gate.

“Just try your best El, if you can’t reach him, we’ll just have to come up with another plan”, Mike said calmly, and his friends nodded approvingly.

Eleven smiled at them, “I just need to eat some more Eggos first to regain energy!”

They laughed and hugged her tightly.

\----

”Your son...” Doctor Brenner said with a cold voice as he stared at Will on the screen. The boy was hooked up to a heart monitor as well as an EEG reader. He was sleeping deeply; a nurse had recently pumped him full of sleep narcotics. His head wound from the fall had been taken care of.

Joyce had seen her son suffer through the whole evening. The nurses and doctors of this place had tried to exorcise the shadow from Will with heaters, candles, lights, multiple heat sources... nothing had worked, Will had just screamed in pain, crying and struggling, saying they hurt him.

”He will never come back to who he was before 1983. He will always have some part of what you call the Upside Down inside him. He can use these powers because the one you called Mind Flayer is still within him. It has not disappeared, and it will not disappear. I am afraid we have tried everything to take it out but to no avail. I cannot take it out of him”, Brenner continued, moving his cold gaze from Will on the TV-screen to Joyce and Hopper who stared at him.

”S-so... y-you’re saying Will is never going to be okay? That he’s always going to hallucinate, scream in fear during the night, hurt himself, have seizures, using powers... You’re telling me that he will never be able to go to school again? To feel NORMAL?” Joyce's voice became shrill as she rose angrily from the chair.

”THIS IS YOUR FAULT YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! YOU HAVE OPENED THE PATH TO THE UPSIDE DOWN, YOU MESSED WITH IT, MAKING THE MONSTERS APPEAR IN OUR WORLD, YOU MADE MY SON DISAPPEAR! IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!” Joyce screamed at Brenner, her whole body shook with rage. Hopper rose and put his arm around her shoulder, hoping to calm her down. She stared at him and shook away his arm.

”DON’T TOUCH ME!” she spat.

Brenner just eyed her with a small smile was on his lips.

”I know this may not fit the situation right now miss Byers, but your son and his abilities would be a great help for us in understanding the other dimension. Since he has the power to control the monsters and a part of the dimension itself, we could use him for making our explorations there easier and thus learn more about the dimension. How we can stop it from spreading, as you may know, it is doing as we speak... We will pay you, generously I add, for the damage, we, unfortunately, have caused your boy and of course pay you for the job he will do”, Brenner said calmly, eyeing Joyce coolly but not seeming to take notice of her rage.

”How can you even DARE to suggest something like that when my BOY is lying in the room over there, sick to his bones, barely a shadow of who he was before all of this?! I don’t want your disgusting money, I want my son to be healthy and without this… this-THIS Alien shit!” Joyce snarled angrily and banged her fist on the table, making a cup of coffee spill over, drenching the table with black liquid.

Hopper felt completely helpless. He really wanted to be there for Joyce, but he didn’t know how to calm her down or what to do right now. He was also afraid of saying anything that could reveal anything about Eleven. He hoped and wished that Brenner had given up on her, that he wouldn’t search for her.

“I am suggesting this because your _boy_ has killed an innocent policeman and an innocent nurse. He is a murderer and with just _one_ call I can put him in prison or _worse_ , just like that. I will only keep quiet if you let me use him. As I said before, you will be paid, just say a sum and I will get it for you”, Brenner said with a sly smile, eyeing them both with cold blue eyes. He held his hands crossed before them.

“You’re manipulating her you fucking bastard!” Hopper spat angrily, he really wanted to slap this stupid man’s face, but he knew he would face dire consequences if he did.

“Jim Hopper, you know I can end your career and put you behind bars just like _that_ as well?” Brenner said solemnly with a grin. Hopper thought he looked like the devil himself, showing his teeth like that.

Brenner was handed a document and an ink-pencil from a person coming from the door. He directed the document elegantly toward Joyce over the table and handed her the ink-pencil.

“Sign this document with your signature, please. Your son will be an immense help to us and our work.” He smiled a vile smile at her.

Joyce stared at the document, reading through its words carefully. Will was to be moved to Hawkins Lab since he was seen as a danger to the common people due to not have control over his powers. He would get regular mental and physical checkups, they would start a diet for him to get him to a healthier weight. He would have his own room and could bring personal belongings if he wanted to. He would be taken care of. Friends and families were allowed to visit him once a day after 3 pm.

Joyce started sobbing, she turned away from the document and Brenner and wept hysterically. Her body shook as she sobbed sorrowfully. How could she live with herself if she signed this document? Her beautiful Will, used as an experiment? He would be treated like an animal, she didn’t trust these people at all but what was she supposed to do? She couldn’t let him end up in prison or worse, die. But what was his life worth, being used as an experiment like this? Being forced to live behind bars at the very place he hated? Would he ever forgive her? Would he understand why she had to make this decision? Would Jonathan ever look into her eyes again after this?

“I will give you some time to sign the document, but before you, Will and Hopper leave this place, I want your signature on this paper, or you will face the consequences”, Brenner said before leaving the room, locking the door behind him.

As soon as he’d left, Hopper pulled Joyce into his arms and held her tightly. She embraced him and cried, even more, hitting his chest in anger and sorrow.

“Hop… I-I need to sign this document, don’t I?” Joyce asked when she’d calmed down a little and handed Jim the paper. “Or Will… Will’s going to die. Or be in prison. I can’t… I don’t know if I can do this”, she whispered almost inaudibly and stared at Jim with empty eyes. The life that had sparked in them before was gone.

“I can’t make this decision, I’m too weak. None of the alternatives are _good_. Prison or death is not good and being used as a laboratory animal isn’t good either. I don’t know, I just can’t do this! I can’t make this decision!” Joyce sobbed, her voice cracking. She ruffled her hair angrily, wanting to die. Wishing for death.

“Both alternatives are bad, none of them are good, none of them are ethically defensible but the first alternative lets him live even though he will live as an experiment… I didn’t have that choice with Sarah”, Hopper mumbled into Joyce’s hair, feeling tears burn in his eyes for the first time in a very long time. He felt Joyce hugging him tighter as he uttered his first daughter’s name.

“We’ll get through this together.... I know, somehow we will”, Hopper murmured as his throat became a tight knot. He let out a sob and tears welled from his eyes.

\----

A low alien growl made Will’s eyes open. He stared at nothing but black, seeing nothing, hearing nothing. He crawled from the black ground, standing up and overlooking the black empty space that surrounded him. The black sea. He thought for a moment, memories from before rushing through his head like flooding water. He saw fragments of spurting blood, attacking demodogs, a rift opening into a white wall like a bleeding wound. He heard his own voice commanding demodogs to attack, to serve him, he heard screaming and growling. He’d killed again. He was a murderer. He’d killed two innocent people.

“No… No. No. No. NO! NO! NO! NO!” He screamed over the empty space.

Will started running aimlessly through the black sea, he screamed and flailed with his arms, hating himself with a burning passion. He’d truly turned into a monster, he **was** a monster. He wasn’t a human anymore. The little humanity he’d left had now vanished. He looked at his hands, breathing heavily from the sudden running. They turned into a Demogorgon’s hands and Will yelled shrilly, his own ears hurting from his scream. He fell down to the black ground, water splashing around him. He put his hands around his head, feeling the claws digging and puncturing his skin.

“Will?” Eleven’s voice made Will freeze. He stared at her shape becoming more visible for each second that passed. She walked calmly toward him, not seeming to be scared of him. She kneeled beside him, a warm hand on his back.

“Will, are you okay?” She asked him softly, stuttering and halting on some of the words.

“Don’t you see? Can’t you see? I’m a monster, I’m one of _them_ ,” he whispered, regarding his claws and showed his shivering hands to her, the tip of the claws were colored red from his blood. Eleven looked at his hands, no fear in her eyes as she grabbed one of his hands with hers.

“No, no monster here”, she whispered and smiled softly at him. She squeezed his hand delicately and stroke his back calmly.

Will’s rapid breathing calmed down a little, he held Eleven’s hand tighter and seemed to forget being a monster for a moment.

“What… What are you doing… here?” he asked with a small frown between his eyebrows.

“Mike, Max, Lucas, Dustin and me, we want to help you. We know you’re in the lab, we want to get you out of there”, Eleven said calmly, still caressing Will’s back in a rhythmic pace as she spoke.

Will’s chest that had felt so cold suddenly warmed a little as he heard Mike’s name. Mike wouldn’t see him as a monster, would he? He’d promised Will to always be there for him… Would he be there, even though Will had turned into a monster?

“How?” Will asked, leaning his head to the side as he looked at Eleven.

Eleven explained their plan to him, as she explained Will got more disheartened. Their plan wouldn’t work, he felt it somehow. It was almost like a feeling.

“No, don’t… Your plan won’t work, I-I can feel it”, Will stuttered and released Eleven’s hand, seeing his fingers become longer and sharper. He gasped as his hands transformed into a Demogorgon’s hands again.

“ **He** ’s here, please, go, you… D-don’t go for me, I- **We** -will be okay”, Will stammered as he saw Eleven disappearing more and more for each second that passed. His surroundings went black.

\----

Eleven ripped the blindfold off and looked at her friends with sad eyes. They really couldn’t help Will, he’d told her that himself. She’d seen his face when he said it and she just knew. He couldn’t be helped anymore.

“We can’t help him”, she said, her throat grow thick and it was harder to breathe. _Cry_ , she was about to _cry_. She felt tears building up in her eyes and spilling over her cheeks. She sniffled and shook her head.

“What do you mean ‘can’t help him’?!” Mike said angrily, looking at her doubtfully with his arms crossed over his chest. What did she think she was saying? And why was she crying?! They **had** to help Will!

“We _have_ to help him El! We can’t just leave him there!” Dustin protested.

Max nodded, agreeing with Mike and Dustin. “Yes, El, we have to help him!”

Lucas gave Eleven a concerned look, “You really do mean it, don’t you?” He said quietly, suddenly feeling very sad. “We can’t help him guys”, he added and looked at his friends. The excitement and eagerness from before were gone from his eyes.

“I don’t understand! Please! Enlighten me!” Dustin blurted.

“Me neither!” Mike said, not understanding a thing. Will was their priority, they just had to help him no matter what! "I made a promise to Will guys, I made a promise that I would always protect him and look after him, we can't leave him behind like this!" Mike added with heat. He was upset and roused.

Eleven shook her head, “I don’t know how to explain, b-but I just saw… I saw his face and I just knew, he can’t… He can’t be saved, by no one. Not even you Mike”, she said faintly, moving her gaze from Lucas to Mike and looked into his eyes.

Mike’s heart dropped when he felt Eleven’s eyes upon him. Somehow he knew what she meant now when she looked at him. It was a feeling, like when you just know you have passed a test without having seen the grades yet. Will couldn’t be saved, they were too late.


	12. Chapter 12

“I thought I could trust you, you fucking bastard!” Hopper roared as he pushed Owens to the wall, his fist ready to give him a punch he would never forget. “You told me last year that your science party was all changed out, that Brenner was gone! And what happened now, you FUCKER? I trusted you!” 

Owens coughed as Hopper’s grip around his throat became harder. “I-I didn’t know. I didn’t know Brenner was alive, everyone thought he was-he was dead! Honestly, I’m speaking the truth!” 

“Does the monster know about my girl? DOES HE?!” Hopper asked, his worry over Eleven reaching its peak.

Owens shook his head hastily, “No, no, no - he doesn’t and he never will. Y-you don’t have to worry about that! Her information is hidden, he will never know about her!”

Hopper let out a scoff, “But I have to worry about Will! You’re a fucking bastard! I… I hate you! And I never want to see you again! I don’t want you near me, Joyce, Jonathan or the boy!” he shouted and gave Owen’s cheek a hard punch.

“I-I understand, I understand completely, but p-please Jim, know this wasn’t my fault, if I had known about Brenner earlier, I would never have brought Byers to the lab again. I’m sorry”, he said before spitting out blood.

Hopper released him harshly, pushing him into the wall before leaving his hotel room with a loud bang of the door.

\----

“Come here, boy. I will not hurt you”, Brenner stretched out his hand toward Will with a calm smile on his lips. They were in Will’s new room, his new place to live. It was a small room with just a bed, a tiny bookshelf and a small bathroom opposite of the bed. The wall beside his bed was filled with Will’s old drawings of his friends, Mike, his family, Bob, Hopper, their Dungeons and Dragons party… He missed drawing, the room was too small for a desktop. Joyce had tried convincing Brenner that Will needed a desktop to be able to draw, that he needed to draw sometimes to be content but Brenner has denied her request, saying that they didn’t have any other room Will could live in. So Will had started drawing in his mind instead, he’d started going to the place with the Black Sea more often now, imagining he had a desktop there. He would draw with imaginary crayons on made up paper until the voices became too strong. The Mind Flayer was stronger now and it grew stronger each day that passed, consuming his thoughts more and more, beckoning him to do things he never would’ve done before. He managed to resist its words, but it got harder every day.

Will lay on the hard, uncomfortable bed, hugging a tattered lion plushie. He’d learned that it had once belonged to someone, Brenner wouldn’t tell whom it belonged to but it gave Will a bit of solace knowing someone had hugged it like he did now. He drew his fingers through its dirty mane, feeling the fur brushing his fingertips. He didn’t want to go  _ there _ , he wanted to remain here, hugging his lion. He felt the now familiar surge of his dark power rumbling inside, ready to be unleashed. He moved his gaze from the lion’s soft yellow eyes to Brenner’s cold blue eyes.

Brenner saw a black wisp of smoke dancing like a bonfire coming from Will’s fingertips, it writhed under Will’s command, encircling Brenner’s throat. Some drops of noseblood sipped from Will’s left nostril.

“Boy, you know what happens if you do this. We have talked about this before, do you remember what happened the last time you used the smoke?” Brenner said calmly as the smoke tickled the outside of his ears. It felt like a snake’s tongue.

Will just stared at Brenner, the Mind Flayer’s hoarse voice screaming at him to  _ KILL, KILL, KILL!  _ Will could feel its excitement boiling inside him, blending with his own rage and hate.  _ YES!  _ the voice rejoiced as Will moved his hand a little to the right and the wisp of smoke followed his movement, a small tip of it snaked inside Brenner’s ear.

Brenner suddenly closed his distance to Will and gave his cheek a hard slap with his fist. A big red mark formed on Will’s cheek and the boy grunted in pain, his eyes burning with tears as he came to his senses.

“This is what happens”, Brenner said through gritted teeth as he took a harsh hold of Will’s arm.

“NO! I DON’T WANT TO! PLEASE!” Will screamed desperately as Brenner dragged him out from his safe place, out from his room and toward the elevator that would take them down to the gate. Will tried to get loose but he was weak, he tried to use his power but he didn't feel the surge, he was too weak.

Brenner held Will’s struggling body as they went deep underground. Will sobbed and writhed, he was already so scared. The elevator doors opened with a loud noise. Thick black vines climbed their way over the floor and walls, the spread had grown rapidly since Brenner began with his experiments. It was like the Upside Down punished them for exploiting it.

A group of researchers met them at the glass door. Brenner pushed Will through the doors before going behind the protective glass, watching him from the other side. Will stared at him, his eyes were filled with endless hate as a researcher put protective gear on him. The researcher connected Will’s walkie-talkie with Brenner’s microphone.

“Do you hear me, boy?” Brenner’s voice spoke to Will through his helmet’s speakers. Will didn’t answer but Brenner knew he could hear him.

“Good”, Brenner said with leisure and looked at the large crack in the wall that had only grown bigger. It pulsated a soft red light. “Go on, like we have done before”, Brenner said calmly to Will.

Will followed his order, walking toward the gate, feeling the Upside Down drawing him in, whispering to him that the only place he belonged to was there, on the other side of the gate. The Mind Flayer hissed happily inside his head.

“Open it”, Brenner’s voice demanded. He was filled with satisfaction as he saw the vines that grew over the gate opening up to Will’s marvelous power. “Step inside”, Brenner said and Will followed his command, walking into the alternate dimension.

——

Mike stood outside Byers house, this was the fourth time in a row he’d been there, just standing and looking at the house. He didn’t dare to ring the doorbell but he needed to know what had happened with Will. He still didn’t know even though a week had passed since their rescue had failed. Hopper wouldn’t tell him, saying it was hard not to but that he wasn’t allowed, that the disappearance of Will was classified. Mike couldn’t believe him, how could he withhold information like this? No one knew where Will was, none of the people Mike had asked at least. That was why he was standing here outside Byers house. He just had to know, he couldn’t let his life pass by like normal without knowing what happened to Will. His friends had given up sort of, much like they’d done when “Will’s” body was found in the water. Their reaction wasn’t a surprise though. They believed Will had died that day at the Lab but Mike refused to believe it. Will couldn’t be dead, he wasn’t dead. Mike just knew he was still alive. Their different opinions had shattered their party, Mike couldn’t stand being near them when they kept insisting Will was dead. Eleven was still on his side, at least he thought she was, she’d told him one evening when she slept over at his house that Will was alive. He’d asked her if he could see him, but she had refused, saying it wasn’t possible. Mike was pleased with the new information though, he had kissed her cheek thankfully and she’d blushed violently and giggled.

Mike gathered every ounce of his courage and stepped toward the door. He walked on the porch and looked quickly through the window but his sight was blocked by drawn blinders. He walked to the door and rang the doorbell, the signal rattled through the quiet house. Mike whispered a silent prayer someone would open, that someone would be home. He heard two locks unlocking, his heart beat faster as Jonathan opened the door. He looked like a different person. He had a haughtiness over him like he’d lost a part of his soul. His hair was longer. His eyes were tired and emotionless. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, his chin had a stubble.

“Mike…” Jonathan said quietly without emotion as he saw the black mop of hair. He had known Mike would show up eventually, he'd seen him roaming around the house. He was glad Joyce was sleeping right now, she would’ve cried if she had seen Mike. She slept more and more during the days now, saying she was exhausted. A doctor had prescribed sleeping pills and antidepressants for her which she used without protests. As soon as they had gotten home from the lab, she’d called to her work and reported a sick leave, saying she didn’t know when she would be back. She had ended the call and said to Jonathan that she didn’t care if she lost her job, that nothing mattered to her now when Will was gone. Jonathan had tried to cheer her up, saying Will wasn’t gone, he was still alive and they could meet him every day, but he had seen her sorrow and he’d gone silent, feeling just as hopeless as her. They still hadn't received the call from Brenner that would tell them that they could come and visit.

“Come in”, Jonathan added quickly, looking over Mike’s head to see if anyone had followed him. He couldn’t see anyone and let Mike come into the house, firmly locking the door behind him.

Jonathan felt cold fingers gripping his hands suddenly. Mike Wheeler looked at him, his eyes wet with tears.

“Jonathan please, please tell me. Where is Will? What happened the day at the Lab?” His voice was hoarse and shaky.

Jonathan put his index finger to his mouth, signaling that Mike had to be quiet. He took Mike into his bedroom, closing the door silently behind them. They sat down on the bed, Jonathan still held Mike’s hands in his. They were still cold but warming up. Mike’s whole body was stiff, he was ready for an answer. Jonathan pondered a moment how he should tell Mike the less complicated way of Will’s sudden disappearance. He told Mike about Dr. Brenner’s deal, that if Joyce agreed to let Will become their prisoner and experiment, he wouldn’t get shot or end up in jail. Jonathan made it clear to Mike that Joyce hadn’t had a choice, it was a life or death situation and she’d decided to go with life. He ensured Mike that Will was still alive and that he could visit Will if he wished. As Will’s disappearance was classified information, Mike wasn’t allowed to share it with his friends. If he did, he would face consequences together with the Byers family and Hopper.

“But if it’s classified, how can you tell me this information?” Mike wondered, he felt a little at peace which was a nice feeling after the immense amount of stress the latest week.

“Brenner was so  _ nice _ that he let Will choose one of his friends that could know the truth about his disappearance. He immediately said your name and Brenner wrote it down on his papers”, Jonathan explained and gave Mike’s back a soft stroke. “But it’s really important that you don’t tell anything of this to your friends”, Jonathan said firmly. “I’m sure Brenner will make you write a confidentiality with your signature when you visit Will. I had to, mom and Hopper as well”, Jonathan added with a sigh.

Mike nodded, fully understanding the gravity of the situation. He would never tell anyone about this. It would be a heavy secret to carry but he would do it for Will, even if he would have to carry it the rest of his life.

“But where does he live? Will he ever come home again? Will he go to school?” Mike asked, rolling his thumbs anxiously. He wanted Will to be normal, he wanted Will to attend school, become an artist that he’d always dreamed of, he wanted Will to play D&D with him and their friends, to dance at the Snowball ´85 - maybe they even could dance together this time? He wanted Will to watch movies, eat popcorn, dress for Halloween, laugh and smile. Will deserved the world.

Jonathan looked at Mike with a bottomless mourning in his eyes. 

“Mike… Will… Will is never coming back”, he whispered, his voice filled with a pain that would never go away or ease with time.

Mike’s eyes burned with tears in his eyes. His throat grew thick with a big lump, making it harder to breathe. Will would never experience any of Mike’s wishes. He would never be normal again, he would never attend school again, he would never begin high school or college, he would never be an artist or go to art school. He would always be hidden, always be kept a secret. He would be known as  _ The boy who came back to life and then disappeared again _ . They could never be a couple, as absurd that thought seemed right now. It still hurt though.

“B-but… W-where is he? At the lab?” Mike asked, looking at Jonathan’s pain filled face. He saw that Jonathan was close to crying, his neutral expression from before was only a facade - it cracked at its edges. Jonathan pulled his fingers through his hair, choking a sob as he looked at Mike again. Mike looked so sad, Jonathan had never seen him like this before, and his sorrowful face reminded him of Nancy, which made his soul hurt even more.

“He’s at the lab, and Brenner is never letting him out again. He’s been deemed as a criminal since he has murdered two innocent people. He moved just a few days ago…” Jonathan sobbed and buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shook but he cried silently. His facade had completely cracked now, he couldn’t keep it up anymore.

Mike just looked at him, not knowing if he wanted to be comforted or not. He felt a painful hole opening inside his chest, a hole that would never stop hurting or bleeding. He’d failed Will, he’d failed his promise to him.

“I was… I was supposed to keep him safe… but I failed him. I’m so sorry”, Mike whimpered as he looked at Jonathan, blaming himself. His eyes were filled with tears and he sobbed when Jonathan pulled him into a close embrace.

“It’s  **not** your fault, don’t ever blame yourself”, Jonathan sniffled as he hugged Mike tightly. Mike buried his face into Jonathan’s shoulder and cried his heart out, the pain he felt was unbearable, he couldn’t imagine how much Joyce and Jonathan were hurting right now.

\----

Will lurched down on the hard bed, his head was spinning and he felt sick like he was going to throw up any second. The visit to the Upside Down had been horrific, he’d stumbled through the darkness, hearing Demogorgons and demodogs all around him but not seeing them. He’d felt like someone was watching him, all he wanted to do was hide and pretend that he wasn’t there but Brenner’s voice from the speakers had forced him to continue walking deeper into the dimension and he didn’t dare to defy Brenner’s orders. This version of the Upside Down was different than the one he'd been in before. In some way, this was more dark, more... Evil.

The deeper he went, the more the voice inside his head had started talking, whispering that he was close to something Will couldn’t comprehend. Will thought he’d seen The Mind Flayer itself, he’d seen something in the distance looking like its legs but when he arrived he didn’t see anything there. Brenner had forced him to keep looking for it, but it was nowhere to be found. He was so tired, having walked through the Upside Down for hours without rest so he just sat down on the vine-filled ground and rested for a moment. When he opened his eyes, two demodogs were surrounding him with their flowerlike heads opened. They chittered at him, circling around him like he was a piece of meat. Will had ordered them to stop but they didn’t listen, they only sneaking closer to him. Will had called for help to Brenner, saying the demodogs ignored his commands. Brenner had pulled the chain rope connected to Will’s hazmat suit and Will had started running for his life, the demodogs running after him. He’d barely escaped unscathed, one of the demodogs had managed to reach him and bit through the hazmat suit’s arm, piercing his skin.

Brenner had met him on the other side, vines closed the way behind Will but some scientists were ready and burned it open again with fire. Will had screamed from pain when the fire had started to burn his skin, almost going into a seizure. Brenner had shouted angrily to the scientists to stop using their flamethrowers on the gate before he’d ran to Will and pulled the hazmat suit off him, looking if he was hurt from the fall. The helmet had shielded his head but the suit hadn’t shielded his skin from the demodog’s bite. He called for a doctor who treated Will’s wounds before he gave a signal to Brenner that Will was ready to go back to his room and rest. He also told Brenner that Will was forbidden to do anything else than resting the remaining time of the evening.

Will buried his face in his pillow, pushing the lion plushie close to his chest and tried to breathe calmer to stop his head from spinning. Eventually, the spinning stopped and Will could have his eyes open without being afraid of fainting. He wondered why his orders hadn’t worked on the demodogs. Was it because of the suit he’d worn? Maybe it had suppressed his abilities somehow? He hoped it did, if his powers were useless then maybe Brenner would deem him worthless and send him home… He thought about Joyce and Jonathan, wondering what they were up to right now in this moment, wondering if he would ever see them again. He remembered Joyce saying before she was forced to leave that she and Jonathan would visit him every day, but they hadn’t done that yet… Had they forgotten about him? Or didn’t they want to see him again, after the horrible things he’d done? After the horrible pain he’d caused them… Maybe they were happy to have him out of their lives. Maybe him being here was the best for all of them. The best for his friends, for Mike… For Hawkins, the best for the world. A violent sob erupted from Will’s mouth, he dug his face even deeper into his pillow and sobbed even more, clutched the lion in his arms. He felt more alone right now than he’d done when he was trapped inside the Upside Down a year ago.

\----

The phone rang loudly through the house, waking Joyce from her heavy sleep. She blinked a few times, feeling a bit nauseous. She stepped into her slippers and hurried to the blaring phone. She picked it up.

“Will is ready to meet you now”, Brenner’s cold voice said calmly on the other line. Joyce felt like she was waking from a deep slumber, she’d waited for this call and it made her feel a bit better. She was going to see Will soon. She ended the call and hurried to Jonathan’s room, knocking the door eagerly. She heard a child’s laugh and furrowed her eyebrows, thinking she recognized the voice. Mike? She heard Jonathan walking to the door and met his face in the doorway, seeing Mike’s black hair behind him, sitting at his bed, looking through an old album. She wondered if Jonathan had told him about Will. She hoped he had because she couldn’t do it herself.

“Mom, you’re awake”, Jonathan said softly and gave her a quick hug. She hugged him back and then looked at Mike, who had lifted his gaze from the album.

“Hi Joyce”, he said innocently putting the album beside him. They’d looked at old pictures of Will. She felt her empty chest warm up a little.

She smiled, happy to see him. “Hey Mike, I’m glad to see you”, she said sweetly and looked at Jonathan, mouthing  _ did you tell him _ and Jonathan nodded with a small smile. “I just got a call from Brenner, we’re allowed to meet up with Will now. He’s ready to see us”, she said and almost cried when she saw Jonathan’s joyful smile lightening up his face. Mike stared at her, hoping he could go with them to see Will.

“Can I go with you too? I really wanna see him”, Mike said eagerly and crossed his fingers, wishing that he could come with them. “But I understand if… If I can’t”, he added quickly.

Joyce stepped toward him, tears glinting in her eyes. She kneeled in front of him and gave his curly hair a soft caress. “I know Mike, but I’m afraid I can’t let you go with us now. We haven’t seen Will since… Since he moved and Brenner said he only allowed us two to visit Will today. I promise I will let you know as soon as you’re allowed to meet him too, okay?” She said softly, hoping Mike would trust her words.

Mike was disappointed but he understood and nodded reluctantly. “I understand, thanks for telling me”, he said. Joyce pulled him into a hug and whispered that he would see Will soon, promising him that it would happen. She hoped he would trust her.

\----

Brenner met them at the entrance to the lab. He was dressed in his usual black suit and tie. He made an attempt to take their hands greet them but both Joyce and Jonathan pretended they didn’t take notice of it. Two guards joined them as they were walking through the multiple halls of the labs, going through corridor after corridor. At last, they stopped outside a metal door, nothing showed them that someone was living on the other side of it. The guards checked Joyce and Jonathan for potential weapons before they stood at each side of the door, like two statues guarding a castle.

“Will is inside but he is very tired. He did pretty good work earlier today, but being in the realm exhausted him”, Brenner said slowly, watching the Byers’ reaction. Joyce just looked at him with seething rage, the elder boy didn’t look at him at all.

“You have a visit time of one and a half hour. His room is video-monitored, I have some personnel watching you, it is for your own safety and for Will. I will come and get you when your time has ended. Enjoy your stay”, Brenner said before pushing the door’s handle, opening the door. 

Will was huddled into a small ball on top of the bed, he’d a plush lion Joyce didn’t recognize clutched to his chest. It was almost as if he had become younger again, he reminded her of when he was just a small boy. He’d slept exactly like that when he was around three years old.

They went inside, closing the heavy door behind them. Will looked up from the lion’s yellow eyes and saw Joyce and Jonathan standing in front of him, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Were they actually here?

“Mom? Jonathan?” Will breathed, his voice filled with emotion.

“Baby…” Joyce whispered, already crying as she sat down next to Will, pulling him close and hugged him tightly. Jonathan sat down on the other side and joined in the hug. 

“I thought I would never see you again”, Will murmured as Jonathan’s tears wet his cheek. His elder brother rubbed his tears away with his hands, smiling at him.

“Are you stupid?” he said with love and ruffled his hair. “We would never ever abandon you, Will, we love you.”

“I love you too”, Will said, his voice barely a whisper. He looked tired and sick, sicker than he’d looked when he still lived at their house. Joyce felt a twinge of worry but made up her mind, thinking it wouldn’t help to freak out now. She caressed his chin and saw a quite large bruise on his left cheek. “Who did this to you?” she asked, suddenly horrified. Who had the stomach to hurt her boy?

Will averted his gaze, looking away. “No one, I s-stumbled and fell.. Down there”, he said quietly, wanting to forget about when Brenner had hit him. He knew they were watching him too, and he was afraid of saying anything that could make Brenner mad. Joyce saw that he was lying but she didn’t want to make a fuss. She wanted to cherish each second they had with Will.

“This may seem absurd but please be careful baby”, she said softly. Will looked at her again and nodded.

“I will”, he promised, trying to ignore the Demogorgon that stood on the other side of the room, watching him, chittering menacingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally made a plothole in chapter 11, saying that Will could go to school which isn't true. Sorry for the confusion.


	13. Chapter 13

"I'm Will Byers, I'm Will Byers, I'm William Byers. William Byers is my name", Will muttered to himself as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His hands held a cramped grip on the sides of the sink. His eyes were dark, almost black. An alien chittering sounded behind him, he looked with fear and saw a glimpse of a demodog's leg.  
  
_Will Byers, I'm Will. Will is me. My mom's name is Joyce, my brother's name's Jonathan. I'm in love with Mike Wheeler. My friends are Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Eleven_ , he thought quickly. The words swam around in his head like a mantra, over and over again. The Demodog chittered at him and sat at his feet. It opened its mouth and several rows of teeth glistened in the thin light from the ceiling lamp.

 _No, you are me, we are one you and I_ , a hoarse voice whispered inside his mind. _You are going to do my bidding, you will see..._

A sudden knock on the door made Will wake up and the demodog vanished out of sight. He stared at the door and thought for a moment that a Demogorgon waited for him out there. He hurried to his bed and crawled into a ball on top of it, hugging the lion plushie tightly. ”Hello?” he said anxiously as the door opened. Brenner stood in the doorway, looking at him with steel grey eyes. A small smile showed on his lips. He stepped toward Will, closing the door beside him.

“Boy”, Brenner said as he sat down beside Will on the bed. He gave the lion plush a look before moving his eyes to Will. “I now know why your power did not work on our last expedition”, he continued as he looked at the red mark on Will’s cheek he’d given him. He frowned, thinking he hadn’t given him that hard of a slap.

Will shook his head hastily, he’d wished Brenner wouldn’t know the reason. He didn’t want to go on more expeditions, he wouldn’t cope, he would break down completely. “Please…” he whispered desperately, looking at Brenner’s unforgivable face.

“The hazmat suit you wore, it suppressed your power, so I was thinking today, we will try and see if your power will work better without it. My doctor has run some tests on you and deemed you will not be in any kind of danger without the suit. As we know, your DNA has been altered from the alternate dimension, so it is no longer a threat to you”, Brenner said with a cold smile as he put his hand on Will’s head, ruffling his hair friendly.

Will flinched, leaning away from Brenner’s hand, not wanting this man to touch him. He felt fear burning in his chest, he didn’t want to return down _there_ again. 

“Please, I would do anything to not return to the Upside Down again”, Will begged, his voice quivering with fear.

Brenner just smiled, ignoring the boy’s wishes completely. Will lifted his hand, trying to collect his power from inside but nothing came, he didn’t even feel the usual stir of it. 

“I want you outside of this door in ten minutes”, Brenner said firmly before he went out of the room, closing the door.

Will buried his face into the pillow and screamed until his throat hurt. He sniffled and threw the pillow on the floor, hating this place, hating Brenner, hating the Upside Down, hating the Mind Flayer. He needed to do something to get the shadow out of him, but what? Maybe closing the gate would be a solution? He knew he’d opened it again when he’d used his powers for the first time. It was his fault and he should be the one closing it. But how? Would the Mind Flayer disappear if the gate was closed again? No, it would remain, as it had done last year when Eleven had closed the gate. He thought through multiple solutions for a while. A sudden smile came to Will’s lips as he came to a final conclusion, he knew what to do to end all of this.

\----

Mike was on his bed, looking at his walkie-talkie and rolling his thumbs. He was bored and the only thing in the world he wanted right now was to go to Hawkins Lab and visit Will. Karen had peeked through the doorway multiple times with a worried look on her face. She had asked him if he shouldn’t go out and play with his friends but Mike had just told her he didn’t feel like it and closed the door right at her nose. He’d heard her sighing outside the door but he didn’t care. He only wanted to go to Will. Three days had passed since he’d been at Byers’ house and he’d repeated Joyce’s words inside his head over and over again since then; _I promise I will let you know as soon as you’re allowed to meet him too, okay?_

He’d thought about inviting Eleven over and make her contact Will through her mind, but he was afraid she would feel used and that Brenner somehow would know that she was in Hawkins. Mike sighed unhappily, wondering what Will was doing right now, if he was okay, if he was in the Upside Down or not. A thought struck him, maybe he could contact Will on his own? Like Joyce had done last year with the lights? He rose from the bed, suddenly feeling full of energy than he’d done in a good while. He hurried to their attic where they kept their Christmas decorations. He found one of the boxes and looked through it, finding a box with multiple colored Christmas lights. He took it and hurried back to his room, setting the lights all over his room and turned them on. The room was filled with a soft light made of red, blue, green and yellow. He smiled at the lights, feeling a warm feeling spreading inside his chest. He sat down on his bed again, looking at the lights and hoping Will would see them.

\----

“Go right”, Brenner’s voice said through Will’s long-range walkie-talkie that he had connected to a headset. The Upside Down had been unusually quiet today. He hadn’t heard any chittering nor seen any monsters during the time he’d been there, it was almost like they _knew_ , knew about his plan, of what he was about to do soon. He was sure the Mind Flayer had told them somehow because the monster had also been quiet since the hallucination in the bathroom. He went to the right, walking down an abandoned and dark Maple Street. The light flickered weakly in the street lamps. Black vines climbed their way along the lamps, wanting to strangle the light out of them.

Will hurried his steps, suddenly feeling a bit afraid as he felt the small part of the Mind Flayer stirring inside him. The sky above grew darker, sucking in the light from the street lamps. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the sky turned into a crimson color. Will felt panicked and rushed to Wheeler’s house, disobeying Brenner’s orders to continue down the road. Brenner started arguing angrily but his voice was distorted and disappeared as the walkie-talkie suddenly died. Will pulled off his headset, put it around his neck and opened the door to Wheeler’s house. No Karen greeted him, no Ted sat in the armchair, he couldn’t hear Holly’s laughter and Nancy’s pop music. Couldn’t hear or see Mike anywhere. It was strange and unusual, being in the Upside Down’s version of Mike’s house. It was so dark inside their house, specks of silvery spores flew around in the house. Black vines lay over the floor like dead snakes.

Will ran up the stairs as he heard the real Shadow monster roaring outside, he saw its gigantic shape towering in the distance through the window. Looking for him. 

 _I need to hide, need to hide. Hide hide hide_ , he thought panic-stricken as he hurried into Upside Down’s version of Mike’s room. Cheerful lights of blue, red, yellow and green met him as he entered the room. They looked odd, a stark contrast to the darkness around them but the soft light made him calmer. Had Mike put them here for him? How did Mike know he would end up here? Will pulled the blinders, hiding away from the monster outside and sat down on the bed, looking at the light’s glowing, smiling at them.

~

Three of the Christmas lights started flickering violently. Mike’s heart beat faster, he stared at them in awe with a wide smile on his lips. “Will?” he said softly and took a hold of the wire, bringing one of the red light bulbs into his hands, its light illuminating his face with a soft red glow. The bulb blinked once in return. Mike chuckled happily, holding the bulb like it was a fragile animal, he stroke it lightly with one of his fingertips.

“Are you ok? Where are you?” Mike asked quickly, looking into the red light.

Will heard Mike’s voice so close, almost like he was next to him. His heart jumped happily. He brought the red light between his hands, looked at it and thought  _yes._ The light blinked and resonated with Mike’s light.

A feeling of relief washed over Mike, Will was okay, he wasn’t hurt.

“Are you in the Upside Down version of my house?” Mike asked, thinking it was a stupid question but he needed to know. Maybe it was possible for Will to open a rift to him so they could meet? The red light blinked once.

“That’s wicked”, Mike blurted and he thought he could hear Will laughing. “Are you here, beside me?” Mike asked quietly, feeling his cheeks growing hotter as he blushed. He would do anything in the world to have Will physically with him in this moment.

Will smiled at Mike’s words, holding the light close to his chest as he thought _yes I’m here_.

“Can you open a rift?” Mike asked quickly, he was afraid Will would disappear at any moment. The red light in his hands blinked twice, saying no. Mike’s heart sank and he suddenly felt very frustrated. He needed to see Will, he couldn’t wait anymore. He had to go to him, no matter the cost.

The Shadow monster’s roar made the floor of the house quiver. Will jerked in fear and let go of the light, they all went out one by one as he ran out of Mike’s room, down into the basement. He went inside Eleven’s old sleeping place and hid beneath the dusty and tattered blankets, hoping and wishing the Shadow wouldn’t find him.

“Will? Are you still here?” Mike asked the light bulb, holding it warily in his hands. It went out with a buzzing sound, the other lights following it, each one of them going dark. “Will?” The light was dead. Mike released it with a disappointed sigh and curled into a ball. He hoped nothing bad had happened and hated himself that all he could do was hope.

\----

“What do you mean we can’t visit today?” Joyce asked angrily, holding the phone to her ear so hard it hurt. Jonathan stood beside her, his hand on her shoulder in a calming manner. He didn’t want her to freak out.

“If he’s not feeling well, then what the hell did you do with him? I’m sorry Brenner, but I need to see my son! Especially if he’s not feeling well!” Joyce protested angrily, her voice shrill.

“Mom, calm down, please”, Jonathan begged her quietly and stroke her shoulder, hoping she would calm down. He didn’t want Brenner to withdraw their visit times just because Joyce was stubborn. Joyce gave him an angry look.

“Bye”, Joyce said sharply and cut off the call, slamming the phone into its holder. She turned to Jonathan with a mad look in her eyes. “He won’t let us visit Will! He says Will isn’t feeling well and that he’s gonna call us again tomorrow if he’s feeling better! He won’t tell me what’s up with him! It’s making me crazy!” She said with heat and flailed her arms angrily.

Jonathan took a hold of her shoulders and looked into her eyes, “Please mom, calm down. I’m sure they’re surveying him and doing their best to keep him healthy. I hate them, but I know they value Will highly... “ he said slowly.

Joyce sighed loudly and nodded after a moment, “You’re right… I shouldn’t freak out like this, it isn't helping anyone. But I just… I just want our boy to be okay”, she said, her voice choked.

“Me too mom, me too”, Jonathan said before pulling Joyce into a tight embrace. They hugged.

“And I want Mike to visit him too, I know how much Will means to the boy and how much Mike means to Will… I promised him”, Joyce whispered, some tears falling along her cheeks. She sniffled and dried them off with the sleeve of her sweater.

“I know you did mom, and we’ll keep that promise. Just wait a little longer, okay?” Jonathan soothed and gave her cheek a soft caress. She smiled at him.

“I love you, what would I do without you?”, she said and kissed his cheek.

\----

“Eleven?” Mike asked and looked at her. They were watching Ghostbusters and eating popcorn. He’d asked Dustin, Lucas, and Max too if they wanted to join them but Max was already hanging out with Lucas at his house and Dustin was with Steve so their evening had ended up with just being the two of them.

His heart started beating faster, what if she refused? She couldn’t, could she? She looked at him and smiled sweetly.

“Yes, Mike?”

“Do you think you could help me go to Will? I’ve talked with him while he was in the Upside Down. I really need to see him… It’s… I can’t go another day without seeing him. Please, it would mean so much…” he said, hating that he sounded like a kid begging for candy but every word was true. He couldn’t wait another day, he needed to see Will _now_. “I know it’s dangerous for you and I… I understand if you can’t do it”, he added quickly, not wanting to seem too desperate. He already did though.

Eleven looked at him, seeming to be lost in thought for a moment before she opened her mouth. “I can help you Mike, but I can’t take you to Will psychically. I don’t have the power to open another gate and it’s too dangerous with Papa being in town.”

She’d gotten so much better at talking the latest weeks, Hopper had really worked with her speech. Mike was happy for her.

“Thank you El, I will forever be in your debt”, he said gratefully and hugged her. She returned his hug with a soft giggle. “But if I’m not going to him psychically, do you mean I’m going to meet him at the black sea?” he asked with a slight frown.

Eleven nodded, her curly hair bouncing. “Yes, I’m gonna try at least. But I need to see if he’s there first”, she said and closed her eyes. In the next heartbeat, she was at the sea, feeling Will’s presence all over the place. She saw a memory; Will hiding in the Upside Down, _today?_ inside Mike’s house, in her own bed. She saw him and Mike speaking through Christmas lights, she felt their happiness and _love?_ the brief moment they spoke and she understood how much Will meant for Mike in this moment. She felt the Mind Flayer creeping closer, it’s giant body towering over Hawkins and Will’s fear, how he’d ran down the stairs and hid in the Upside Down version of her old sleeping place. She felt the Mind Flayer’s tendrils made of shadow looking for him and finding him, filling him with their darkness. She felt his fear and screamed out loud, tears of fright running down her cheeks as she started running away. Mike’s arms suddenly enveloped her and she calmed down a little, remembering that she was Eleven and not Will. She drew a deep breath and returned to the place of Will’s memories. He suddenly appeared in front of her, sitting at a desktop, drawing with crayons.

“Will?” she asked as she carefully stepped toward him, keeping her gaze on the crayon in his hand. He suddenly lifted his gaze and looked at her, his eyes completely black. It wasn’t Will, it was **him** , the Shadow. Will was possessed. She stepped backward, feeling **His** dark power coming to her, beckoning her to let **him** join her. She’d known this would happen, they had been too late but she had to help Will in some way, extend his time a little.

“No”, she said firmly and lifted her hand, focusing her power on drawing the blackness out from Will. She felt a shadow at her fingertips and screamed loudly as she drew a part of it out of Will, making it disintegrate. It took a huge amount of energy from her but she didn’t feel faint like she would’ve done before. She breathed heavily, feeling a bit lightheaded but pleased with herself as Will’s eyes turned back to normal. He looked at her confusedly, like he didn’t know where he was.

“Eleven?” he said in surprise and looked at her like she was the first thing he’d seen in months. He walked to her, the desktop disappeared behind him, becoming white mist. “What happened? What are you doing here?” he asked softly and gave her a friendly hug.

“I’m sorry Will, I can’t explain, I have to go”, she whispered and vanished.

\----

Eleven opened her eyes and looked at Mike who was still holding her. “What happened?” he asked worriedly and looked at her face, she had nosebleed running from her nostrils.

“Will… He’s possessed, I managed to get a part of it out of him, but… It’s almost too late, we can’t save him”, she whispered, struggling to keep her eyes open. “I’m sorry you couldn’t see each other”, she excused herself. Mike wiped the nosebleed away with a napkin and shook his head.

“Don’t… Don’t excuse yourself, you did what you could”, he said. “But Will... No… we can’t be too late, we have to help him, something must work, we can’t just give up, he’s our friend, I promised I would protect him! I can’t break my promise, he’s my best friend and I…”, Mike blabbered, tears filling his eyes. His hands started quivering as he sobbed. “I love him”, he whispered, his voice choked from the lump in his throat.

Eleven put her hand on his cheek and caressed it softly. “I know Mike… I’m sorry”, she whispered, her eyes teary.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus, came the end of this story.
> 
> I'm immensely happy and forever grateful for all the kudos and comments and praise I've received, it's been crazy and an amazing ride and I'm so freaking happy you guys like my story so much. I'm sad it's over but I'm thrilled to write other stories and I hope you guys will continue to read my stuff. From the beginning, this story was just a oneshot and was supposed to end around chapter 5 but you guys kept me going!
> 
> I love you all, thank you so so so much for everything!

”Hello? Oh hi, Karen! It’s Joyce. Yes, we haven’t talked in ages, I know. I’m sorry I haven’t called you. Oh, Will? No, he… he has been very sick so he hasn't been able to be with his friends, but he’s getting better… you know, I actually need to exchange some words with Mike, if he’s home of course”, Joyce babbled into the phone. She was tired, hadn’t slept well tonight. She’d had nightmares about Will vanishing into the Upside Down and not returning. She’d run after him into the alternate dimension but couldn’t find him anywhere. Her dreams scared her, were they some sort of an omen? No, they were just dreams, they couldn’t be more than that...

\----

“Will has not been well since our last expedition. We lost contact with him during the journey and he did not answer after an hour of no communication. I had to send in two of my scientists who looked for him and found him unconscious on the field outside Hawkins Middle School. He is stable now but weak. Please, be careful with him”, Brenner said calmly as he greeted Joyce and Mike at the entrance to the Lab. Mike stared at Brenner, hating him with every fiber of his being. It was _his_ fault that Will couldn’t be saved, _his_ fault that Will had become possessed again, _his_ fault that Will had ended up at this point in the first place, _he_ was the one that made Eleven suffer. He was the _real_ monster here, not the Demogorgons or demodogs or any other monster the Upside Down hid.

Joyce wanted to scream at Brenner’s face and break all the bones in his body until he screamed for mercy, but she knew she couldn’t. She wouldn’t risk anything now. She just nodded, wanting to get done with this meeting so they could meet Will. Brenner started walking and showed the way to Will’s room, extra locks had been installed and Joyce wondered why but didn’t say anything. They entered the room and saw Will lying in his bed, the lion plush resting on top of his stomach. He was sleeping, seeming to have a nightmare. He tossed and turned in his sleep, whining like a wounded animal. Joyce let out a worried noise and sat down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Mike sat down on the floor next to Will, the floor was hard and cold. How could that bastard let Will live in a prison like this?

Will suddenly woke and stared at Joyce. “Mom?” he whispered, his voice weak and nothing like before. Mike hardly recognized him, he looked worse now than ever before. He’d lost more weight, his cheekbones protruded, his eyes were hollowed out in his face and his lips were dry and chapped, it was almost like his soul had been taken from his body. His hair had been cut to its usual bowl cut though.

Joyce hugged Will tightly, “Yes, I’m here”, she whispered and strangled a sob. She couldn’t cry, she’d done that too much. She needed to stay strong for him now. “I’ve missed you so much”, she added and kissed his forehead. Will smiled at her and hugged her back, his arms were so thin and pale. His skin had lost its usual luster. “I’ve missed you too”, he said, not seeming to take notice of Mike that sat beside him.

“Jonathan unfortunately couldn’t come today, he had work to do, but he promised he would come tomorrow. Look who I have with me instead”, Joyce said softly and smiled at Mike on the floor, inviting him to go to Will. She was worried Will hadn’t noticed his best friend yet. Mike waved shyly, all he wanted to do was hug Will but he was scared he would break Will. He looked so fragile.

“Mike!” Will blurted, his eyes suddenly shining like the brightest stars in the sky. A bit of color returned to his face. Mike rose from the floor, feeling itchy with happiness as he drew Will into a tight embrace. “I’ve missed you”, he breathed into Will’s neck. Will hugged him back, almost crying with happiness. Mike was  _here_ , with _him_. Finally… he’d waited for so long and finally Mike was _here_.

Joyce noticed their closeness and became a little embarrassed. She chuckled nervously, “I’m going to fetch some water, I will be right back”, she said hastily and exited the room, greeting the guards outside.

“I’ve missed you too”, Will whispered, his chest felt tight of love and happiness for Mike. He felt at home, being in Mike’s arms.

Mike looked at Will’s eyes, seeing the familiarity of Will in them, seeing the stars of life glinting in the sea of green. He burned this image of Will into his mind, saving it forever. He smiled, his cheeks burning hot, his heart beating wildly as he leaned in and placed his lips on Will’s. Will closed his eyes, his heart almost bursting from his chest as he met Mike’s lips with his own. They kissed softly, neither of them wanting this moment to end.

Will broke the kiss after a few seconds, Mike’s eyes opened and looked into his, they gleamed. Mike smiled at him and lay down next to Will, still looking into his eyes as he grabbed Will’s hand in his.

“You know, don’t you?” Will whispered quietly, his eyes filled with sorrow as he looked into Mike’s eyes. Mike nodded slowly, his grip of Will’s hand growing harder, as if he wasn’t ready to let Will go.

“Yes, I know…” Mike replied quietly, putting Will’s hand on his heart. “But I promised you Will, I promised I would keep you safe. I won’t let you do it, I can’t… I won’t live without you.”

Will smiled but felt his eyes grow wet as they were filled with tears. Mike became blurry in front of him when the tears spilled over. He sobbed and Mike pulled him closer, holding him to his chest.

“Do you remember what I told you last year?” Mike said quietly as he caressed Will’s hair slowly, drawing his fingers through the brown strands of hair. Will didn’t answer, he continued to cry quietly.

“If we’re both going crazy, then we’ll go crazy together, right?” Mike murmured, repeating what he’d said to Will almost a whole year ago. Will chuckled, remembering the moment. At that moment, when they sat next to each other, wearing Halloween costumes and eating candy, Will had fallen in love with Mike for real. His crush had turned into love, simple as that.

“Yeah, crazy together”, Will replied in a whisper and moved his head so he could look at Mike’s face.

Mike’s eyes were teary but his lips still smiled. “If it’s possible, I’ll take your powers… or some of them at least. We’ll go crazy together”, Mike whispered, meaning each word and hoping it was possible he could actually take a part of Will’s suffering. It was the least he would do for him.

Will stared at him, not knowing what to say at first. “Thank you Mike”, he whispered simply and kissed him, a teardrop leaving his eye. He knew it wouldn’t work. He couldn’t transfer his powers, they were stuck with him and would die with him.

Mike returned his kiss, knowing somehow that his request wouldn’t work. Like Eleven had told him, it was too late. Will couldn’t be saved, no matter how much he wanted it. The realization hurt, a pain that would never go away. A pain he would have to live with the rest of his life.

”I love you Will”, Mike whispered through his tears. Will smiled at him and caressed his freckled cheek.

”I love you, Mike”, Will replied in a whisper.

\----

Joyce came back after a while, holding two glasses with water in her hands. She saw that the boys were sleeping, so she tiptoed inside and placed the glasses down on the floor since Will didn’t have a bedside table. She looked at her watch and saw that their visit time was almost out. She sighed, sad that she hadn’t talked much with Will today but she was happy for Mike that he finally was able to meet Will. They looked so content together, all cuddled up next to each other. She was happy Will had a friend like Mike and she hoped dearly they never had to go separate ways.

Joyce sighed, she didn’t want to wake them up but she had to, they had around 10 minutes left of visiting, and they needed to say goodbye properly before Brenner came in. She let out a low sigh before shaking Will’s shoulder carefully. He immediately opened his eyes, they were a bit puffy. Had he cried? Her heart sank. Was he sad about something? Of course, he was but... Had something happened?

”Baby”, she said softly. ”Me and Mike has to go now, our visit time’s almost over”, she said, trying to hide her sadness. She wished she could take him with her and hated that she couldn’t. Will nodded slowly before giving her a tight hug.

”I love you mom, I will always love you”, he whispered, his voice was serious and a bit choked as if he was strangling a sob.

Joyce chuckled, a bit surprised but happy. ”I love you too Will, you mean the entire world to me”, she said and kissed the top of his head.

He smiled at her before he turned to Mike, giving him a soft caress on his cheek. Mike’s eyes opened and Joyce would never forget the smile of love he had on his lips when he looked at Will.

”Y-you’ve got to leave”, Will said quickly. Mike looked at him with grief but nodded. ”I know”, he said and rose from the bed, walking to Joyce.

Will rose from the bed too, his legs shivering a little. He hugged Joyce again, even more tight this time and drew her scent into his lungs. ”I love you”, he said again and she chuckled again, couldn’t help but feel that something bad was going on. ”I love you too Will. I will see you tomorrow, okay?” she said, her voice reassuring but Will’s eyes said something else. He nodded and faked a smile, squeezing her hand a little before releasing it. She kissed his forehead.

”I will go outside and see if Brenner is there”, Joyce said, she somehow felt that the two boys needed to be alone. She gave Will a last quick hug before leaving the room.

Mike pulled Will into his arms, tears rolling down his cheeks. ”I can’t… I can’t let you do this Will…” he whispered, feeling his heart break inside his chest, piece by piece for each second that passed. The pain was already unbearable. Will hugged Mike back, harder than ever, letting out a sob as tears spilled over.

”I-I don’t want to… do it either, but… there’s no other way”, he whispered in between sobs and held Mike in his arms for one last time.

Mike leaned down and kissed Will’s lips again, hoping Will could feel the love he had for him in his kiss. Will kissed back, their tongues touching for a short moment before they broke the kiss, both looking at each other with surprise.

“Thank you Mike”, Will whispered suddenly and smiled at Mike through his tears. ”You always made me feel like a human.”

Mike sniffled and hugged Will tightly one last time. Brenner knocked on the door and they both knew it was time to say goodbye.

“Bye Will”, Mike murmured before he kissed his cheek.

“Bye Mike”, Will mumbled, placing a kiss on Mike’s lips. They kissed again, short but fierce before Brenner opened the door. They managed to break the kiss before the door opened fully.

“Come, boy”, he said to Mike and almost pushed him outside Will’s room. The last thing Mike saw was Will smiling at him.

\----

Will heard Joyce, Mike, and Brenner walking away in the corridor. He took a deep breath, trying to focus on his mission, the last mission he would ever do. He turned around and faced the wall with his drawings, giving each one of them a look, remembering when he'd drawn them. He smiled, thankful for his family and friends and the memories they had created together. He searched for his power within, it answered, filling him with raw darkness. He opened his eyes and lifted his hand, moving it down slowly in front of the wall. A large crack formed into the concrete as Will opened a rift to the Upside Down. Its red light lit up the room, filling it with a blood red color. Will wiped away the line of nosebleed from his nose as he stepped into the rift.

\----

“Joyce, Brenner, I’m sorry but I forgot to tell Will something”, Mike said suddenly as they were nearing the exit of Hawkins Lab. Joyce looked at Mike, seeing that he hid something.

“Okay, uhm, do you want me to go with you?” she asked worriedly. Brenner looked coldly at them both, waiting for the boy to answer.

“No! I’ll be fine”, Mike said quickly as he turned around and ran toward Will’s room. Brenner shouted “WAIT!” after him but he ignored the man’s orders. He couldn’t let Will do this by himself, he needed to be there with him, no matter the cost. Alarms wailed loudly as Mike ran faster through the corridors, hoping he would know the right way.

“ _You_ stay right _here_ ”, Brenner snarled to Joyce as she was about to go after Mike. Brenner hurried away, leaving Joyce confused and worried. She saw Hopper parking his car in the parking lot. He came running and was surprised to see her.

“Joyce?” he breathed and looked at her. “You, Will and Mike need to get out of here”, he said as he tried to catch his breath.

Joyce almost lost her mind. 

“What’s going on?!” she blurted, demanding an answer with no secrets. The alarms wailed louder, almost blasting her eardrums. Multiple guards appeared and ran down the corridors, armed to their teeth with heavy weapons.

“ _She_ told me”, Hopper whispered almost inaudibly to Joyce’s ear. “Another rift has opened, _she_ told me Will opened it”, he said as quietly as possible. Joyce shook her head, feeling herself going hysterical as she understood what was going on.

“No… No, this… This is not happening”, she said, her voice shrill and panic-stricken. Hopper hugged her tightly and grabbed her hand. “We need to take him and Mike out of here before it’s too late.”

Joyce took a deep breath and tried to collect herself. She looked at Hopper and they started running toward Will’s room.

\----

Mike entered through Will’s door, his breath was caught in his throat. He’d never run this fast in his entire life. The guards that usually were posted outside were gone and they had left the door open. Ominous red light from the Upside Down met his eyes as he went into the room. A large crack had cleaved the wall, the red light came from the portal inside the crack. Mike hurried to it and stood in front of it, seeing only darkness as he stepped inside. Enormous black vines clung to the floor, walls, and ceiling. Grey specks of spores flew around the air. Mike shielded his nose with a part of his shirt. He hurried along the straight path forward, afraid of an eventual meeting with a demodog or worse… a Demogorgon. He couldn’t hear anything though as he ran along the way. The path suddenly went straight downward, Mike had to climb down the wall and his arms and legs shook with exhaustion when he reached the bottom.

“Will?” he called out into the darkness, seeing nothing but spores and vines as he continued along the way.

\----

Will stopped his steps, his breath heavy as he’d run the whole way. He sank down to his knees in front of the Gate, it’s red light almost blinding his eyes. He thought of Eleven and Hopper, they had been here almost a year ago, Eleven had managed to close the Gate once and for all. Only that he’d opened it again, which in turn had granted him the ability to use his powers and the Mind Flayer to grow stronger again. He heard the Shadow roaring from somewhere, wondering if it was on its way here to stop him from doing what he was about to do. He was the reason Hawkins was still in danger, the reason why the Upside Down had spread outside of the Lab. The Mind Flayer had chosen him to be its vessel, to do its willing, to help it take over the world with its darkness. He was the only one that could stop it. He was the only one that could save Hawkins and the world. No one else could.

Will thought of Mike’s smile as he rose from the vine-covered ground and lifted both of his hands, letting every ounce of his power erupt from him all at once with a loud scream. The red light from the Gate was stifled as it began to contract and shrink. The small part of the Mind Flayer roared in pain as Will made it disintegrate. He felt its power disappearing from his mind as it died when the last bit of the Gate closed. A loud, painful roar echoed through the Upside Down as the Mind Flayer was defeated, its connection to the Real world was shattered.

Will sank tiredly down to the ground, finally free from the monster. He closed his eyes, a smile on his lips as he let the darkness embrace him.

\----

The floor trembled and creaked as if it was close to bursting beneath Joyce’s and Hopper’s feet. Small cracks burst through the floor. They stopped their frantic running for a moment, afraid of moving. The ground suddenly stopped trembling and Joyce let out a breath of relief. Hopper held her hand as they continued to run toward Will’s room and entered it. The large crack remained on the wall but the portal was gone. Joyce let out a panicked scream and ran toward the crack, feeling it with her fingers, seeing if there was any probability she could enter the Upside Down again but she couldn’t find any. She let out a scream of pain and sorrow as she knew she’d lost her boy forever...

\----

Mike’s heart throbbed painfully when he heard Will’s scream not too far away from him. He gathered the last of his strength and rushed toward the scream, seeing a large gate closing, _the_ Gate. A painful roar a distance away made the ground underneath his feet quiver. The Upside Down went silent again when the roaring suddenly ended. Mike hurried toward the closed Gate and saw Will’s body lying on the ground.

“No…”, he whispered sorrowfully, feeling hot tears on his cheeks as he sank down next to Will’s body. He pulled Will’s lifeless body to his, holding him close. Tears of blood ran from Will’s eyes, painting his pale cheeks red. His nose was still bleeding. Blood ran from his ears, dripping down on Mike’s pants. Will wasn't breathing, his heart was silent inside his chest.

“I’m here Will, just like I promised”, Mike whispered into Will’s hair through his tears that didn't stop falling. "I will never leave you again", he murmured softly and placed a kiss on Will's forehead, waiting for the end.


End file.
